


UnMained: CyBooNatural

by ShanaRHager



Category: Luigi's Mansion (Video Games), Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Dark, Especially Luigi, Everyone Needs A Hug, Found Footage, Horror, King Boo is Psycho, Not Suitable/Safe For Work, Nudity, Paranormal, Scary, Some Humor, Suspense, The Bad Guy Wins, Thriller, death of a child, death of a senior citizen, except not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:28:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 62,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26760655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShanaRHager/pseuds/ShanaRHager
Summary: Nathaniel "Nathan" Turner is among the best Luigi players in the Smash community, and he's just won a laptop in a tournament hosted by Boos. But when an online Halloween hangout with fellow Luigi mains takes a dark turn, Nathan realizes that the Boos have dragged them all into a sinister plot involving the man in green! Can they survive the night...and save their main?Rated M for graphic bloody violence, disturbing content, sexual references, alcohol use and character deaths.
Relationships: Gooigi & Luigi (Luigi's Mansion), Luigi & OC, Luigi & Polterpup, Luigi/Morty/Gooigi, Mario/Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool, OC/OC, Princess Daisy/Luigi, Professor E. Gadd & Luigi, Professor E. Gadd & Original Character(s), Professor E. Gadd/Original Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. The Gift

**October 30, 2019**

**7:00 p.m.**

“GAME!”

Nathaniel “Nathan” Turner exhaled upon hearing those words, the controller falling from his exhausted hands. The Super Smash Bros Ultimate Halloween Tournament had come to an end, and after a bracket which had lasted about two hours, Nathan had emerged the victor. He shook hands with his opponent, stood and flexed his fingers, sore from intense and repetitive button mashing.

The tournament official, a Boo named BooGene, raised Nathan’s arm in victory. “Here’s your winner!” he sang out, to cheers from the spectators and other Smash players.

BooGene then turned to Nathan. “Good job out there,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Nathan.

BooGene smirked. “I must say, though—your choice of main…”

“Luigi?” Nathan was considered among the best Luigi mains in the tournament community. “Look, I know you have a beef with him, but—your king _did_ go after his brother. Twice.”

“Eh—let bygones by bygones, _I_ say,” said BooGene. “Congratulations again, Mr. Turner.” He patted Nathan on the back and floated off.

Nathan mingled with the other Smash players, exchanging handshakes and hugs with them, before stopping at a dark-haired pregnant woman. This was his fiancée, Victoria “Vicky” Rousselle.

“Way to kick [bleep], Nate,” said Vicky.

Nathan smiled and took her in his arms. “You weren’t so bad yourself,” he said, kissing her on the lips.

Vicky was also a frequent participant in the tournaments, and she’d mained Luigi since the first Smash game’s release twenty years ago. She was a strong-willed woman, not about to let her delicate condition stop her from flexing her Smash muscles. And she was also the daughter of Princess Éclair of the Waffle Kingdom, making her second in line to the throne. This was a fact that only Nathan and a few close friends knew about.

Nathan didn’t mind—how could he when he was also of royal blood? He was the Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom, located in Sarasaland, which was ruled, of course, by Princess Daisy. But each of the kingdoms in Sarasaland (Easton, Chai, etc.) was ruled by a monarch who reported to Daisy and her advisors. Tomboyish as she was, Daisy simply couldn’t rule a huge empire without some help. Nathan figured that he could afford to compete in a few more tournaments before buckling down and preparing to assume his responsibilities.

“Wanna text L and tell him the good news?” asked Vicky.

“I’ll do that when I get home,” said Nathan.

“He could be turning in early tonight,” said Vicky. “He, Mario, Peach and a couple of Toads are going to that hotel tomorrow, remember?”

“Right—the Last Resort or whatever,” said Nathan. “He could be busy packing his stuff, too—but I’ll go ahead and shoot him a text.”

He fished out his cell phone and opened the Messenger app before tapping Luigi’s icon.

_Sry to bother u, but I got some rad news._

“Hey, Nathan!” a voice behind him made him jump.

BooGene floated behind him. “Hey, man!” he said cheerily. “Don’t forget to collect your prize!”

“How much?” asked Nathan.

BooGene tilted his head. “We’re not talking about a cash prize,” he said. “We’re talking about something better.”

Another Boo floated in, carrying a Dell Inspirion laptop.

“Ta-da!” announced BooGene. “It’s your very own laptop! And it’s already programmed just for you.”

“Wow,” breathed Nathan. “It was almost time for me to get a new laptop, anyway. My old one is slowing down.”

His phone chimed.

_Let me guess,_ Luigi had replied. _U won the tournament?_

_Yup. Thanks to you, kinda._

_Lol._

“Sorry,” Nathan apologized, putting his phone away. “Family members checking up on me, and all that good stuff.”

“I find it quite touching that you’re actually friends with your main,” BooGene said craftily. “Oh, yes, Nathan—I know all about that. We Boos know _everything_.”

BooGene put the laptop in a purple laptop sleeve and handed it to Nathan. “Take good care of this, okay?” he entreated. “This laptop—is very _special_. A special laptop for a special Smash player.”

“You—really think I’m special?” asked Nathan.

“Indeed,” BooGene replied. “Tomorrow’s Halloween, you know. Are you doing anything special?”

“Probably—breaking in my new laptop,” shrugged Nathan.

“ _I_ plan to spend my Halloween with my fellow Boos,” said BooGene, “and as for my king’s plans—he’s gonna do some catching up with an _old_ _friend_.”

More Boos had floated into the venue, and now they began to cackle along with BooGene.

“But—you have fun with your new _special_ laptop,” BooGene went on. “After all—you’ve earned it.”

More cackling.

The Boos then turned to the other spectators and tournament players.

“Thank you for joining us at our annual Halloween Smash Tournament,” said BooGene. “We really hope you enjoyed yourselves. But now—it’s time to go.”

Exchanging looks, everyone gathered their things and left the venue as the Boos licked out their tongues and leered at everyone.

Nathan had his arm around Vicky as they strode to the former’s car.

“A laptop, huh?” mused Vicky.

“It _is_ strange,” conceded Nathan.

“Just between us—I think you should be careful with that laptop,” cautioned Vicky. “It’s from a _Boo_ , after all. And while Boos are cute on the outside—they’re downright ugly on the inside.”

“Say that again,” said Nathan.

He took out his phone and sent Luigi another text: _Have fun 2morrow._

 _I will,_ Luigi texted back. _You bet I will._

Oh, if only they knew…


	2. Logging In

**October 31, 2019**

**6:30 p.m.**

The next evening, Nathan fired up his new laptop and was shocked to find that everything had already been configured for him, just like the Boos had said. All he had to do was to insert his thumbprint into the sensor so that he could sign in without a password. After he set up the Wi-Fi connection, Nathan was taken to the home page. The desktop background showed a large Boo with violet eyes and a gleaming bejeweled crown.

_King Boo_ , Nathan thought with a shudder.

Vicky waddled into the room. “Hey, Nate,” she said. “How’s the new computer treating you?”

“So far, so good,” Nathan replied, kissing her on the lips.

“What’s that creep King Boo doing on your desktop?” asked Vicky, making a face.

“I dunno,” shrugged Nathan. “I’ll change it later.”

He opened the “Settings” tab and clicked the “Change Background” prompt. Unfortunately, all of the other choices were pictures of Boos.

“Huh,” said Nathan. “I’ll upload my own photo, then.”

He’d come back to that later. Right now, he wanted to explore the laptop’s other features.

First things first, he launched Google Chrome and opened the Napster web page, pursing his lips when he saw that the Username and Password fields were auto filled with someone else’s information.

“KBoo2U?” asked Vicky. “Who’s that?”

“Whoever he is, he probably forgot to reset the data on this thing,” Nathan replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, probably,” mused Vicky.

Clearing the data, Nathan signed into his Napster account and scrolled down the list of his favorite songs, picking one at random.

“‘Crab Rave’?” asked Vicky. “Really?”

The two of them laughed.

As the music played, Nathan synched his Google, Facebook, Microsoft and OneDrive accounts to his new computer. He used the Dell Mobile Connect feature to link his phone. Then, he browsed through his photos, looking for the perfect replacement to his current desktop photo.

“How about—this one?” Vicky piped up, pointing to a picture of the two of them together, looking so in love.

“It’s kinda mushy—but—yeah,” grinned Nathan, selecting the photo and clicking “Save”.

Yet when he closed all of his windows—the desktop was still of King Boo grinning evilly at him.

“Okay—let’s try again,” muttered Nathan.

He did so, but with the same result.

And the same result happened after trying several more times.

“That’s weird,” said Vicky.

“I just don’t want King Boo’s face grinning at me every time I fire this thing up,” said Nathan. “Eh—whatever. I’ll just try not to let him get to me. He’s trapped in a vault, anyway.”

“True,” said Vicky.

The engaged couple fooled around with the laptop for a bit, using the camera function to take selfies and record videos and then creating a Halloween playlist.

“Wait a sec,” Vicky said after a while. “What’s that?”

She pointed to a desktop file labeled “Untitled”.

Nathan shook his head. “Like I said, the previous owner forgot to backup and reset the d—n thing,” he huffed. “It’s not my business to poke around someone else’s files.”

A prompt popped onto the screen, asking if Nathan would like to allow others to sign into the PC with their own accounts.

Nathan smiled over at Vicky. “Why not?” he asked.

He scooched over so that his fiancée could enter her own information into the laptop, finishing by registering her thumbprint.

“This is so cool,” Vicky mused when she was finished.

“Say that again,” replied Nathan. “It’s working better than my old, obsolete piece of crap.”

Vicky’s desktop background photo was also a photo of King Boo—only this time he was shyly hiding his face.

“Now _that_ one’s kinda cute,” she laughed, but there was a nervous timbre to it.

Her phone vibrated, and she answered it.

“Really? Oh, all right. I’m on my way,” she said.

Turning to Nathan, she explained, “It was a reminder about that social function I told you about.”

“The Waffle Kingdom Halloween Bash,” said Nathan. “Will Daisy be there? I’m sure she’ll want at least one representative of all of Sarasaland’s kingdoms.”

“This is more of a—girls’ night out type of deal, but without the alcohol, of course,” said Vicky. “No offense.”

“None taken,” smiled Nathan.

“I’d better get ready,” said Vicky, giving Nathan a kiss before hitting the shower.

“I’d better check on Luigi,” murmured Nathan, signing into Messenger.

_Hey, L,_ he typed. _I hope you, Mario, Peach and the Toads reached your destination safely._

He waited, choosing another song to play.

_Yeah, we made it,_ Luigi replied. _Thx for the concern. We’re all checked in and lounging in our rooms. I dozed on and off during the trip, you know._

_LOL._

_They had a buffet for us. You should’ve seen Mario making a beeline for it. Polterpup ate a piece of cake right out of his hand._

_OMG._

_And Peach had so much luggage. I mean—J—s. Why did she have to pack so much? We’re only staying about a week or so._

_Better not let her catch you typing that._

_You’re on your new laptop? How’s it working?_

_Okay, for the most part. Hold on, let me call you._

Nathan clicked on Luigi’s profile picture and selected the “Call” prompt.

The video feed then showed the man in green himself, lounging on a bed in a room bathed with golden light.

“Hello, handsome,” said Nathan. “It’s good to see your face.”

“It’s good to see yours,” replied Luigi.

“What kind of person names a hotel the Last Resort?” asked Nathan.

Luigi shrugged. “The staff is cordial enough,” he said. “They were wearing creepy-looking masks, though.”

“Why were they wearing masks?”

“Beats me.” 

Nathan then noticed the ghostly dog curled up in Luigi’s lap. “Hey, Polterpup. What’s shakin’, bacon?”

Polterpup woofed happily in response.

“I’ve had him for six whole years,” laughed Luigi. “Can’t you believe it?”

“I still can’t believe that you even _have_ a ghost dog,” chuckled Nathan.

“Times change,” said Luigi. “So—this new laptop of yours—could you tell me about it?”

“It’s a Dell Inspirion,” said Nathan, “and it was already pre-configured. I can add other users to it, I can sign in using only my fingerprint—and it runs fast enough for me to use my Skype account without any difficulty. The previous user forgot to remove some of their data—but other than that, I’m loving this laptop so far.” He decided not to tell Luigi about the desktop image of King Boo.

Luigi beamed. “Would you—like to see my room?” he asked.

“Sure,” replied Nathan.

Luigi slid out of the bed and turned the camera around, giving Nathan a view of his hotel room. A gift basket and some balloons sat on a desk, and a smiley-face popped out of the closet. There was a living room and a small kitchen—and even a Jacuzzi in the bathroom.

“My God,” breathed Nathan. “They’re pampering you good!”

“Aren’t they?” asked Luigi. “I’m probably gonna take a soak in the Jacuzzi later tonight—after trying out one of the restaurants.”

Nathan laughed. “I want you to enjoy yourself, all right?” he said. “This getaway is all about you and your loved ones.”

“Okeydokey, Nathan. I’ll call you in the morning,” said Luigi. “By the way, are you doing anything special for Halloween tonight?”

“I’m Skyping my friends later, and we’ll play scary games and tell each other spooky stories.”

Vicky walked back in, dressed like the Shadow Queen. “Is that Luigi?” she asked.

“It sure is,” replied Nathan.

“Hi, Vicky!” said Luigi. “Greetings from the Last Resort!”

“Are you and your friends just chilling?” asked Vicky.

“We are,” replied Luigi, settling back into his bed. “Where are you off to?”

“Girls’ night out slash social function in the Waffle Kingdom,” explained Vicky.

“Which reminds me, I’d better change into my own costume,” said Nathan.

“A virtual costume party with your friends?” asked Luigi.

“You betcha,” said Nathan. “Maybe the Last Resort should host a Halloween party or at least do _something_ Halloween-themed.”

“That would be interesting,” said Luigi.

“All right—I’d better get a move-on,” said Vicky. “Nate—I’ll join your Skype chat when I get there.”

“Okay,” said Nathan.

Vicky bent down and kissed him.

“Knock them dead,” smiled Nathan.

“I’ll do my best,” said Vicky. “Talk to you later, Luigi.”

“All right, Vicky.”

Gathering her things, Vicky blew a kiss to Nathan before heading out.

“Remember what I said,” Nathan told Luigi. “No stress and no negative vibes. Got it?”

“Got it,” replied Luigi. “See ya, Nate.”

“See ya.”

Nathan hung up, closed his laptop and jumped into a cool shower before slipping into a Luigi costume. When he was finished, he opened the laptop back up.

“What the…?” he uttered.

He’d just received a message from someone he didn’t know.

_You’re online. Good. Then everything’s arranged._

The message was from someone named BooLivia.

Another incoming message was a photo of several Boos posing.

_Can’t wait to get this party started, Your Grace,_ messaged another individual named BooLinda.

_Our friend won’t even see it coming._ That was from someone named Bookett.

_Are you ready, Your Grace? 3:D_ That was from one Boostace.

Were these—Boos?

Did this laptop—used to belong to a Boo?

Not just to any Boo…

…but _King_ Boo?

Did the Boos give Nathan their King’s laptop? And if so—why?

Was it on accident? Did King Boo acquire a new laptop and forget to erase the data from his old one before giving it away? Because a _King_ would never forget something like that.

Nathan couldn’t shake the fact that maybe this was intentional. The Boos hosting the tournament, him _winning_ the tournament and then getting this laptop as a prize.

But—King Boo was in that vault, wasn’t he? How could he have gotten his hands on a laptop?

Unless he escaped…

No, no, no! That was impossible! Luigi and the Professor—made sure…

Nathan shook his head, as if to clear it. He needed to follow his own advice—no negative vibes. Maybe this was someone playing a practical joke. It _was_ Halloween, after all.

A smile stretched across his face as his screen displayed an incoming Skype call.

Good. Time for him to get his mind off of this.

A night of Halloween fun was about to begin.


	3. The Gang's All Here

**October 31, 2019**

**7:24p.m.**

“Happy Halloween!” Nathan sang out as the Skype chat connected.

“Hey, Nate!” greeted Elegant, another renowned Luigi main in the tournament scene. “How goes it?”

“Just fine. And you?” asked Nathan.

“Can’t complain,” said Elegant. “Hey, we’re both dressed as Luigi!”

Nathan laughed heartily. “Well, we _are_ his mains,” he said.

“What’s on the agenda tonight?” asked a woman with short blonde hair, seated next to another woman with brunette hair. Their names, respectively, were Sophie and Melanie.

“Well, _I_ was thinking of something a little—old school,” said Elegant, holding up a black box.

“No way! ‘Cards Against Humanity’?” Nathan laughed again. “Elegant, you read my mind!”

“Well, I was thinking,” said Elegant, “after a few rounds of this, how about I invite you all over to my place for a small Halloween get-together? And if you have a 3DS, then you can bring it—I have both _Luigi’s Mansion_ games.”

“I thought only the second one supports multiplayer,” said Melanie, who was dressed as Peach.

“Oh—right! My mistake,” said Elegant.

“But that sounds like a great idea,” Melanie added.

“Indeed,” Sophie, who was dressed as Daisy, chimed in, holding up a box which read, _The bigger, blacker box._ “I bought this just for Melanie because—I’m compensating for something.”

Everyone cracked up.

“Oh, man! I’m laughing so hard right now!” cried Elegant. “Who wants to start us off?”

“Allow me,” said Nathan’s close friend, Noah. He cleared his throat. “NASA has announced that blank may be headed on a collision course with blank.”

“Good one, Noah,” said Elegant. “All right—who’s first? Nate?”

Nathan stifled a chuckle. “NASA has announced that spaghetti may be headed on a collision course with the sun.”

“Boy—Mario would like that,” mused Elegant.

“NASA has announced that Baskin-Robbins may be headed on a collision course with Galactic NOVA,” said Sophie.

“What?” guffawed Nathan.

“Because apparently, Baskin-Robbins knows everything,” shrugged Sophie.

A woman with long, jet black hair, named Jacqui, threw out the next suggestion. “NASA has announced that a gigantic c—k may be headed on a collision course with Popstar!”

“Jacqui!” Nathan spluttered, exploding into a laughing fit.

“Okay—I’m gonna go with Jacqui,” snickered Elegant.

“Whoa, Nate—I can see the pores on your face,” said Sophie. “What’s going on over there?”

“It actually looks like you’re calling from the year 2019,” Noah chimed in.

“Oh, um…” Nathan blushed a little. “I got a new laptop.”

“Brand-new?” asked Noah.

“He won it in the tournament yesterday,” said Elegant. “Hey, Nate, I forgot to say GGs.”

“GGs,” replied Nathan.

“Hey, Jacqui—cool costume,” said Melanie.

“Thanks,” Jacqui replied. She was dressed as the fan-made result of the Koopa King wearing the Super Crown, known simply as Koopette.

“Who do you guys ship her with, anyway?” asked Jacqui. “Personally, I ship her with Peach.”

“Me, too,” said Sophie.

“Me, three,” said Elegant.

“I ship her with Mario,” said Nathan, “but I’m all for her and Peach, too.”

“We can talk more about Koopette and her relative, Booette, when you’re at my place later,” said Elegant. “I’ve got chips, dip, boursin and crackers, Oreos, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey bars, ice cream, cake—and we’ll sit around talking about Koopette and Booette and who we ship them with while playing on the Scarescraper!”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Jacqui.

“Hey, Nate—I hear that Luigi’s taking a little vacay with his pals at this—Last Resort,” said Elegant. 

“He is,” said Nathan. “Last I checked, they’ve all settled in and are probably about to turn in for the night.”

“He gave me a buzz a few minutes ago,” said Elegant. “He sounded pretty relaxed. I’d invite him to chat, too, but he’d just arrived from a long and quite possibly stressful trip, so I figured—why not let him rest?”

The feed suddenly glitched before cutting out.

Nathan huffed. “Are you serious?” he grumbled as Skype reloaded.

Facebook notifications from people he’d never even heard of began popping up, talking about some sort of project.

Nathan clicked on one of the notifications and received the shock of his life.

“This is King Boo’s account,” he murmured as more messages from Boos began flooding Messenger.

Could this mean he escaped? _How_ could he have escaped? According to the Professor, King Boo was in a special vault beneath the former’s secret Bunker. It would be near impossible to escape _that_!

Maybe the power of hate had something to do with that.

Shuddering slightly, Nathan logged out of King Boo’s account and back into his own account before reconnecting with the Skype chat.

Elegant was in the middle of an epic rant about how Nintendo constantly made Luigi their butt-monkey.

“Just last year, they had Death slash his soul out!” he said hotly. “That sent everyone into an uproar! I mean, what _haven’t_ they done to him yet?!”

“C’mon, Elegant,” said Noah. “It’s all in good fun.”

“Luigi would beg to differ,” huffed Elegant. “He deserves better!”

“Amen,” said Melanie.

“Don’t encourage him,” warned Jacqui.

Nathan messaged Noah. _Elegant is one devoted main, isn’t he?_

 _Ikr,_ Noah typed back. _Hey, did you crash or something?_

_Yup,_ Nathan replied. _I got the dreaded blue ring. It’s happened twice now. Guess that’s what happens when you win a laptop in a tournament—there’s always a catch._

_A constantly crashing laptop usually means the hard drive is full._

Nathan opened up the File Explorer and saw that Noah was right.

_So much for a new laptop,_ he thought.

“I hate that!” Elegant was shouting. “And—you know, everyone hates it! But they’re sitting around and going, ‘All right, Nintendo, whatever you say, you’re the boss.’ It’s like Luigi was made to be a joke, and he’s not! I admit it, I might be biased, but Luigi’s more than a joke! He fights ghosts! Mario just—gets captured by them.”

Everyone else murmured in agreement.

_Bingo,_ typed Nathan. _The hard drive is almost full, but I don’t see any files._

 _Could be browser cache, virtual memory, hidden files,_ typed Noah. _Here, run this app._ And then he sent Nathan a link.

Nathan clicked the link and was taken to a site called DaisyDisk. He clicked on the “Free Trial” prompt, and the app began to scan the laptop.

While DaisyDisk was scanning for hidden files, Nathan re-opened the Messenger window and clicked on his conversation with Luigi.

_Hey, L,_ he typed. _Sorry to bother you, but I’m starting to think that the computer I won used to belong to King Boo. I’m getting all sorts of messages from Boos on here, so it’s likely he’s escaped. You, Mario, Peach and Toad need to be careful…_

The scan was finished. And according to DaisyDisk, whatever was on “Untitled” was taking up most of the hard drive. To add insult to injury, the “Untitled” folder was hidden.

_Do you know how to reveal hidden files?_ He messaged Noah.

_Sure_ , replied Noah.

As Noah walked Nathan through the process, he heard Elegant strumming on a guitar, serenading everyone with a tune about Luigi. Melanie, Sophie and Jacqui looked charmed.

Once the “Untitled” folder was revealed, Nathan clicked on it and was taken to a list of seemingly random videos. One video was of Peach and a few Toads bustling around in her castle’s kitchen. Another was of Daisy in a sundress, strumming a ukulele, pausing to take a bite of a bagel smeared with cream cheese. A third video showed Mario, clad in a pair of red swim briefs, plunging into a pool. And a fourth showed Luigi in his living room, shirtless, dancing to music blaring from a nearby stereo without a care in the world.

“By the way,” Elegant was saying. “I just bought some new speakers. Here, take a listen.”

Nathan nearly jumped out of his seat at the sudden explosion of sound. A remixed version of the _Luigi’s Mansion_ theme began to play, and everyone else on the Skype chat could hear it, as well.

“Turn it down, Elegant!” snapped Noah.

“All right, all right,” said Elegant, decreasing the volume on his speakers.

“Show off,” muttered Jacqui.

“But it’s totally the bomb, right?” asked Elegant.

“You made your point,” said Noah.

“Guys,” Sophie spoke up, causing everyone to quiet. “Melanie and I have some interesting news we’d like to share.” The two women were now cuddling together on the sofa.

“Wait—where’s Vicky?” asked Noah.

“She has duties in the Waffle Kingdom,” Nathan explained. “I don’t think she’ll be able to join us at Elegant’s later.”

Melanie and Sophie exchanged a look before the former flashed a dazzling ring at the camera.

“Ta-da!” she sang out.

Everyone cheered.

“Oh, my God—I’m so happy for you two!” exclaimed Jacqui.

“You gotta tell us all the deets!” Noah chimed in.

“Well,” said Melanie, “we were having lunch at our favorite restaurant, and for dessert, Sophie ordered a huge sundae for us to share. And—there it was, attached to the cherry’s stem in a small, protective bag.” She sighed. “I thought it was the sun.”

“My sister helped me pick it out,” said Sophie.

“Janelle?” asked Elegant.

“Aw—that’s wonderful, sharing this special moment with your sis,” cooed Jacqui.

“Did you talk to Melanie’s dad?” asked Elegant.

“Of course, I did,” eyerolled Sophie.

“And did you film it?” Elegant went on. “Man—that would’ve been _so_ fun to see!”

“No, I didn’t film it,” said Sophie, “but he took it surprisingly well, seeing that he struck me as sort of—old-fashioned.”

“How about Emily?” asked Nathan, referring to Sophie’s niece. “Is she excited?”

Sophie nodded. “Very,” she replied. “Man—she’s growing up. I remember the day I first held her in my arms. Now, she’s eight years old.”

“She’s probably out trick-or-treating as we speak,” Jacqui piped up.

“It won’t be long before she outgrows that,” sighed Sophie.

“I remember those innocent days, going from door to door as my neighbors filled my jack-o-lantern to the brim,” said Elegant. “Truth is—I wasn’t dressed as Luigi all the time. Sometimes—I was dressed as Toad.”

Silence.

Elegant grinned. “Hello,” he said in a perfect imitation of Toad’s high-pitched voice.

Laughter.

“And by the way…” Elegant went on, holding up a certificate. “I’ve just been ordained. I can totally marry you two.”

Melanie smiled. “There’s nothing more romantic than a Luigi main officiating at your wedding,” she said.

“Speaking of Luigi,” said Nathan. “We should totally invite him.”

Everyone else chattered in agreement.

Nathan was then notified of an incoming call from Luigi.

“Sorry, folks,” said Nathan. “I gotta take this.”

“Take your time,” said Noah.

As soon as Nathan clicked on the link, however, he couldn’t believe his eyes…


	4. Halloween Hangout

**October 31, 2019**

**7:45 p.m.**

Nathan stared at the image of the man in green for a full fifteen seconds. It was as if he was looking at a different person in a different scene. Luigi was in a darkened room, pale and sweaty and shaking, his pupils dilated and his chest heaving. Small whimpers escaped him, and he clutched a flashlight tightly in one hand.

“Luigi,” gasped Nathan. “What in God’s name happened? Are you all right?”

“N—no,” stammered Luigi. “K—King Boo—he—he…”

“King Boo’s stuck in a vault somewhere,” said Nathan. “You mean to tell me he escaped?”

Luigi nodded. “And—he—has—my—my—friends…”

“How did he find you?” asked Nathan.

“A scream woke me up,” said Luigi. “The atmosphere had changed into something dark and threatening. When I checked my friends’ rooms, I found signs of a struggle. And while I was walking down the hallway—I saw them…”

Luigi swallowed and continued. “They—he had them all in paintings, and they looked so _terrified_. Before I could get a closer look at them, they disappeared, and then I was looking at _him_. I’ll never forget the hatred in his glowing violet eyes as long as I live. And—he was gonna trap me in a portrait, too! I—just ran. I ran and ran and ran as he chased after me, knocking down anything in his way to get at me. If I hadn’t found a laundry chute, then I would’ve been done for!” Tears began sliding down his face.

“Where are you now—in a laundry room?”

“Yeah,” sniffled Luigi.

“All right, calm down. I’m gonna get you some help,” said Nathan. “Just stay where you are.”

“No way!” exclaimed Luigi. “I’m _not_ leaving my friends to King Boo’s mercy!” In a lower voice, he said, “It looks like I’m on the basement floor. I’m gonna take a look around and see if I can find anything useful.”

Faint barking sounded, and Nathan was relieved to learn that at least Polterpup was okay.

“How the [bleep] did King Boo escape, anyway?” asked Nathan.

He jumped at the sound of a Facebook notification: _Hellen Gravely tagged you in a post._

“Okay,” muttered Nathan. “Who the [bleep] is Hellen Gravely?”

He clicked on the notification, where he was promptly taken to King Boo’s Facebook account.

“Oh, my God,” he uttered.

“What?” asked Luigi.

Nathan scrolled down King Boo’s timeline, gazing at a photo of the Master of Illusions with an elegantly dressed female ghost wearing shades.

_A night of fun with my idol_ , read the post.

Scrolling further down, Nathan saw that this Hellen Gravely character had been King Boo’s Facebook friend for over a year. _She_ must’ve helped him escape, and the two of them had spent the past year or so planning their next move, with Luigi unaware.

“Nathan—what’s going on?” asked Luigi.

“Uh—who’s Hellen Gravely?”

“She’s the proprietor of the Last Resort,” Luigi said to him. “Why?”

“Luigi—I believe you and your friends have walked right into a trap,” said Nathan.

“Yeah, you _think_?” huffed Luigi.

“How much you wanna bet that this Hellen individual is in on it?”

“Of course, she’s in on it! She was acting really creepy when she arrived, making eyes at me, at Peach, at my bro. Before King Boo revealed himself, she confronted me in the hallway and called me her ‘most esteemed VIP’. Then, she said that there was someone she adored very much, who inspired her to invite us to this hotel, and that she hoped to introduce him to me. And she glided aside, and then King Boo was cackling in my face and…” Luigi took several calming breaths. “Do you know her?”

“Well—this laptop’s kinda funny,” said Nathan.

“How so?”

“The previous user forgot to erase their info and reset the system,” said Nathan, “so I’m still getting notifications from that person’s account. I now have reason to believe that—King Boo used to own this laptop. I’ve gotten messages from Boos—and I’ve just been taken to King Boo’s Facebook account. I saw that this Hellen had tagged him in a post.”

Just then, Hellen sent a message. _We make a great team, you and me. Perhaps more than a team._

_Out of curiosity, what are your plans for them?_

_I’d love to watch, you know. See you in action._

_I’d love to spend some time alone with the Princess. I have a bit of a preference for ladies, too—if you know what I mean._

“She just messaged him,” said Nathan.

“Don’t engage,” warned Luigi. “I don’t want you getting involved, all right?”

“I’m already involved,” objected Nathan. “I could be holding his old laptop. And most importantly, you’re my best friend, and I’m with you—for better or worse.”

“Nathan, please. King Boo wants nothing more than revenge for what I did to him,” said Luigi. “He’s got Mario, Peach, the Toads—he’ll have no compunction with going after you and anyone near you just to get to me.”

“He doesn’t know who I am,” said Nathan.

“His magic will help him find out,” said Luigi. “Listen to me—you need to lock your doors, and don’t open them for anyone you don’t know. Secure your windows, don’t take calls from unknown numbers and arm yourself.” Nathan heard someone rummaging around. “I think Polterpup just found something. I gotta let you go for now.” Luigi drew a breath. “Take care.”

“Keep me posted,” said Nathan, and then Luigi hung up.

Nathan un-muted his Skype chat, partially listening to his friends carrying on, and stroked his chin as he gazed at Hellen’s messages. If this laptop used to belong to King Boo, then perhaps he could use it to his advantage to help Luigi save his loved ones.

_I’ll arrange something,_ he typed.

He then clicked on Hellen’s name, gaining access to her profile. Instantly, his suspicions were confirmed.

King Boo was one of her friends.

_Not on FB,_ Hellen typed back. _It’s not safe. Let’s chat on BooSpace._

Nathan frowned.

Switching back to Skype, he messaged Noah. 

_Hey—ever heard of BooSpace?_

_Not really,_ Noah replied. _What’s that?_

Nathan once again clicked on the File Explorer tab, and just above the UNTITLED folder was a program called “BooSpace”.

_Maybe it’s a social networking site for Boos_ , he thought as the program began to run.

The username and password fields were already auto-filled, so Nathan could simply log in. As soon as he did so, however—his desktop wallpaper changed. Instead of King Boo, it showed a picture of a tall, tall building, backdropped by a starry sky as Boos floated around.

“What in God’s name…?” breathed Nathan.

“Sounds like someone’s been meditating,” Noah said.

“Nate—are you all right?” asked Sophie.

“Yeah—who were you talking to just now?” asked Elegant.

“Guys—I think Luigi and company are in some sort of trouble,” said Nathan.

“What do you mean?” asked Melanie.

“He called me,” explained Nathan, “and he told me that King Boo somehow escaped and captured his friends.”

“How?” asked Noah.

“I think—someone named Hellen Gravely helped him.”

“And how do you know this?” asked Jacqui.

“My—laptop,” Nathan replied. “It’s—acting really weird.”

Noah blinked. “Share your screen with us,” he said, “so we can have a look.”

Quickly, Nathan enabled the screen share widget. Elegant, Noah, Jacqui, Melanie and Sophie sat there, gawking at Nathan’s display.

“Whoa,” said Elegant. “It’s like your screen’s actually _moving_ …”

“It is,” said Nathan. “It switched when I connected.”

“To what?” frowned Noah.

“This—thing called BooSpace,” replied Nathan.

“Uh-huh,” said Elegant. “Sort of like—MySpace for Boos, am I right?”

“Who uses MySpace in 2019?” asked Sophie.

“No f—ing way,” gasped Noah. “You uncovered a social network for Boos?”

“Looks like it,” shrugged Nathan.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out,” said Sophie. “Those Boos are bad mothers, Nathan. I’m talking about serious [bleep].”

Melanie nodded. “I think you should leave whatever that is alone,” she added.

A chat window popped up, accompanied by a Boo’s cackle.

“Whoa,” said Noah. “Look at all those Boos.”

“You’re saying you _won_ this laptop?” asked Jacqui. “Boy—this sounds familiar…”

“Yeah. I won a Smash tournament fair and square, and the laptop was the reward,” said Nathan. “It was a special Halloween tournament, hosted by Boos.”

“Wait a minute—you’re saying Boos hosted a Smash tournament?” Melanie broke in. “That should’ve been a major red flag, Nathan!”

“Yeah, I was a little antsy,” said Nathan, “but I figured, hey, Halloween was around the corner, and here was another opportunity to flex my Smash muscle. Anyway, as soon as I booted everything up, all of this stuff was auto-filled.” He showed them all the Facebook page.

“King Boo really has a FB account?” interjected Elegant. “Man, he has some serious brass ones!”

“Hey, King Koopa has one, too,” said Jacqui. “He sent me a friend request a while back.”

“Yeah, because villains always have time for social media when they’re not conjuring up various diabolical schemes,” scoffed Noah.

“Well, if his account is active, then that means—he’s been out of that vault longer than he wants us to think,” cautioned Sophie.

“Or maybe he had Internet privileges or something,” said Jacqui. “The Professor is—scatter-brained like that. Remember when he sold the portrait at the yard sale and caused the whole Dark Moon episode to happen?”

“Sometimes, I really worry about the Professor,” Noah put in. “He should just retire already, before he makes a mistake.”

“Let’s—not get off-topic, shall we?” said Melanie. “Nate—go back to the beginning.”

“Okay, here we go,” said Nathan. “When I first booted up this thing, it started acting off, so I scanned the hard drive and found a hidden folder which was taking up most of the space.”

“Could you open that folder for us, please?” asked Noah.

“Of course,” said Nathan, reopening the UNTITLED folder.

“Hey—I know those addresses,” breathed Jacqui. “They’re near the MK’s capital—and Sarasaland, as well!”

Nathan opened and viewed more files from UNTITLED. Some Toads hurrying downstairs. Peach hosting a tea party. Daisy soaking in a Jacuzzi. Luigi, shirtless, washing his car, his bare upper body repetitively smacking against a soapy window. Mario and Peach on a bed, making out and divesting the other of their garments.

“He’s been watching them,” Noah gasped.

“Those videos go a few years back,” said Elegant. “They _have_ to be the work of his underlings.”

“He had his minions keep tabs on Luigi and company while plotting his escape,” said Nathan, “but the question is—how did he come into contact with this Hellen Gravely in the first d—n place?”

“Maybe—King Boo has his own fan base,” guessed Sophie, “just like Luigi.”

Nathan did a swift Google search on Hellen Gravely and immediately struck gold.

“You’re right, Sophie,” he said. “Hellen Gravely is the president of the King Boo Fan Club. She’s manning a Facebook group dedicated to him, and she’s written him fan letters. And check this—in September of last year, she started a fundraiser. _That_ must’ve been how she helped him.”

“Wow,” said Elegant.

Nathan messaged Luigi with the links to Hellen’s Facebook profile, Facebook group and the King Boo Fan Club’s main page. _I hope this sheds some light on the subject!_ He added.

_Ur only a year late_ , Luigi replied.

_Ya I know. Sorry._ _☹_

He perused through several more UNTITLED files. Mario, asleep in his bed. Daisy, walking around naked except for a pair of orange panties. Peach in a similar state of undress, except the panties were pink.

“King Boo, you’re f—ing sick,” gasped Elegant.

“His minions could’ve struck at any time,” said Jacqui, “but they didn’t.”

“Because it’s all part of his game,” said Elegant. “That’s his m.o.—he wants to toy with Luigi and friends and strike when they least expect it.”

“J—s,” said Melanie.

Nathan was startled by an incoming Skype call notification from Vicky. Quickly, he clicked “Accept”.

“Hey!” Vicky greeted brightly. “What did I miss?”

“A lot,” Noah replied. “For starters, King Boo escaped. He has Mario, Peach and three Toad retainers.”

“I thought they were on vacation,” said Vicky.

“The vacation turned out to be a trap,” said Nathan, “and he’s got help from his fan-club president, one Hellen Gravely. She owns that hotel.”

Vicky paled. “Is Luigi okay?”

“For the most part. He managed to escape.”

“My God. Where’s the Poltergust when you need it?”

“Exactly,” huffed Nathan.

Suddenly, the BooSpace chat window showed a message from Hellen: _So, what are your plans for them?_

Everyone stared at the message.

“She’s talking about Mario and company,” said Noah.

“Well, say something,” said Elegant. “We don’t want her to get suspicious.”

_Still working on that,_ typed Nathan.

“Wait—don’t,” cautioned Sophie, but Nathan had already sent the message.

_Don’t you want Luigi to feel what you felt?_ Hellen asked.

“Type in ‘That—and more’,” instructed Elegant.

Nathan obliged.

_We have those he holds dear, but we need him, too,_ typed Hellen.

“Almost all of them,” said Elegant. “He doesn’t have Daisy, thank God in Heaven.”

“Elegant, please, put a cork in it,” sighed Noah.

_He needs to watch. He needs to witness what happens when he crosses you._

Nathan replied with the first thing that came to his mind: _Who should we have fun with first? Mario?_

“Nathan, what are you…?” Jacqui spoke up.

Nathan shushed her as Hellen sent her reply.

_No. I’m thinking—Peach._

“Wh—what is she talking about?” asked Sophie.

_Let’s give her the royal treatment. I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like—to be with a woman._

Elegant turned green. “Wow—she’s just as twisted as King Boo,” he said.

_I want you to film us. And another Boo can film_ them _._

Noah cursed.

“Oh, my God,” said Sophie.

_I want to see their eyes as it’s happening,_ Hellen went on. _I want_ her _to see their eyes as it’s happening. Bring a mirror. I want her to see it happening. And I want to see you reacting to it. I want to see you relishing in their pain—especially_ his _pain._

“Nate—please, just get out of there,” Vicky entreated.

_I want him to know that this is all his fault. I want him to know that you’re a King who always gets even._

“Shut it off, Nathan,” said Elegant.

_I want him to witness the extent of our mercy by witnessing what we’ll do to each of his friends. We shouldn’t end his game—that would be_ too _easy._

“Nathan, for C—st’s sake, shut it off!” shouted Noah.

“Please, Nathan, shut it off!” Sophie exclaimed.

“Okay, all right!” said Nathan, closing the window and leaving BooSpace.

Everyone sat there in stunned silence.

“We—we can’t just sit here,” Melanie said after a while. “We have to get help!”

“How?” asked Elegant. “We don’t even know where this Last Resort is located!”

The “incoming video call” chime sounded.

“Thank God—it’s Luigi!” cried Sophie. “Answer it, Nathan!”

Nathan clicked “Answer”, and right off the bat, he noticed that Luigi had calmed down somewhat. Looking closer, he could also see those familiar straps over Luigi’s shoulders.

“Hi, Luigi,” said Nathan.

“Hey, Nate,” said Luigi. “Look what I’ve got!” He held up a vacuum nozzle and twisted slightly to reveal a red apparatus with a tank attached.

“All right! You have a new Poltergust!” exclaimed Nathan.

“The Poltergust G-00, to be exact,” said Luigi, “and it’s not entirely new. I’m using it in the Smash tournaments, remember?”

“Oh, right,” said Nathan. “Luigi—I’m sharing my screen with the friends I’m Skype-ing with. Guys—can you see him?”

“Yup,” said Noah.

“Yeah,” said Melanie and Sophie.

“Yes,” said Jacqui.

“Yep,” said Elegant.

“Hey, everyone,” said Luigi. “Can you hear me?”

“They can see you, but they can’t hear you,” said Nathan. “The Poltergust—where did you find it?”

“I asked Professor Gadd to hold onto it during my vacation,” said Luigi. “After our first conversation following my escape, I explored the basement and came upon a parking lot. And there it was, under the hood of the Professor’s car. Well—Polterpup kinda found it first.” He laughed. “If the Professor’s car is parked in this lot, then he must be somewhere in the hotel, so I’m gonna see if I can find him. I could use his eccentricity right about now. Okeydokey—I’ll call you when the Professor and I meet up.”

“I’d like that,” said Nathan. “Be careful.”

They exchanged goodbyes before hanging up.

“Nate,” said Elegant. “There’s a file which says ‘Games’. Could you click on that, please?”

Nathan obliged, and he was taken to a program titled “Darts”.

“Nathan—I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” cautioned Sophie.

But curiosity prevailed, and Nathan launched the program.

“What? I like darts,” said Nathan.

He was now viewing the program’s home screen, and he clicked “Play Game”. As the game loaded, he viewed the game’s controls. The player could aim by moving the cursor and fire by left-clicking.

Once the game finished loading, Nathan was nearly sick to his stomach.

The game’s setting was some sort of throne room, warmly lit. Nathan’s cursor had turned into a purple dart. But instead of a dartboard—the target was a portrait of Mario, silently screaming as he beat his fists against his artistic prison.

Nathan clicked once, and the dart went flying, impaling itself through Mario’s right hand with a gruesome, realistic sound effect and blood splatter. He clicked again, sending another dart into Mario’s stomach, resulting in more blood splatter. Nathan found himself revolted by this “game” yet compelled by morbid curiosity to play on. Hits to the face, abdomen and center of mass yielded more points than hits to the limbs, and if Nathan landed a hit through the eye, then King Boo would pop out and cackle in approval.

“Nathan! Nathan, stop!” shouted Melanie.

Nathan pressed the “Esc” key, quitting the “game”.

Then, he clicked on the next game, titled “Chase”.

In this game, Nathan controlled King Boo as he tried to catch Luigi. When he succeeded, he was treated to a “Congratulations” screen, which showed King Boo’s shadow hovering over the helpless man in green.

He exited out of that game, too.

His friends were wide-eyed at this point, hands covering their mouths.

Next, Nathan clicked on a third game, which only had “3:D” as its title.

“Nate, I don’t think…” Noah began.

“How bad can it be?” asked Nathan as he launched the game.

He got his answer when the screen showed Luigi stretched out on the floor, wrists and ankles bound. Above him was a drop-down menu with all sorts of grisly instruments, including gardening shears and a bench vise.

“Uh—no—no!” cried Elegant. “I—can’t look at that, Nathan. Get out of there!”

Nathan didn’t have to be asked twice.

“Show me the last one,” Melanie said breathily.

“Mel…” said Sophie.

“It’s the most recent one,” said Melanie, “and it’s smaller than the others.”

Nathan scrolled down to the most recently installed game and clicked on it.

After he clicked “Play”, Nathan was taken to a six-way split screen view, showing Mario, Peach, Red Toad, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad and Luigi in what appeared to be separate hotel rooms.

“What is this— _Five Nights at Freddy’s_?” asked Vicky.

“No—I think it’s—a voyeur game,” said Elegant.

“Ew,” shuddered Sophie.

Nathan saw a button below Mario’s room light up and clicked on it. In seconds, Boos pounced on Mario, and his part of the screen went black.

“Oh, my God!” cried Nathan. “I’m done with this!”

“You guys, I really think we need to report Mario and company missing,” said Melanie. “The police will know just what to do.”

Nathan started to say something, but he was cut off by another incoming video call from Luigi. “Hold on, guys,” he said.

Unhesitatingly, he clicked “Accept”.

He was greeted with the image of an elderly man with a single tuft of white hair on his head.

“Professor!” exclaimed Nathan. “Guys, it’s the Professor!”

“Thank God in Heaven!” breathed Vicky.

“Hello, sonny!” greeted Professor Elvin Gadd. “You must be Nathan.”

“I am, and I’m glad you’re here!” said Nathan. “Where are you?”

“We’re in the big ballroom on the mezzanine floor,” Gadd replied.

“We?” repeated Nathan.

The camera swiftly panned over so that Luigi was in the frame. “I found him trapped in a painting, too,” he explained.

“It was awful,” said Gadd. “I had no time to defend myself. The Boos just—ganged on me and beat me up before shoving me inside the painting! Now I’m _really_ glad that I decided to bring the Poltergust along!”

“What are you doing in this hotel, anyway?” asked Nathan.

“Well—I—I’ll explain later,” Gadd told him.

“What’s your next move, then?”

“My first impulse was to book it,” replied Gadd, “but Luigi here wouldn’t have any of it. He _insisted_ upon remaining here and saving his friends, and as his father figure, I’m not about to let him do so by himself.”

Nathan nodded. “Good man.”

“First things first—Luigi and I are gonna head over to my car,” said Gadd. “There’s something in there that could help us.”

“Be careful,” said Nathan.

“ _You_ be careful,” Gadd shot back. “Are you home at the moment?”

“Yes, and I’m Skyping with some friends.”

“I believe that’s the safest place to be at the moment,” said Gadd. “Lock all of your doors and windows, don’t answer to people you don’t know, and most importantly, stay in touch with Luigi for as long as possible. Later on, I’ll join your Skype conversation.”

“Do you know how King Boo escaped?” asked Nathan.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything soon,” Gadd said, “but right now, it’s imperative that Luigi and I get to my car.”

“Whatever you say,” murmured Nathan.

“All right,” said Luigi as he took the phone back. “The Professor and I will check back with you soon. Stay safe, and stay vigilant.”

“Bye, you two,” said Nathan, and then the call ended.

“That psycho covered the bases this time around,” Nathan intoned to his friends. “He made sure to grab the Professor, so that all avenues of help would be cut off. Luckily for us, King Boo didn’t count on the Professor bringing the Poltergust along.”

Everyone else murmured in agreement.

“Still—God help them both,” Vicky said softly.

“If he and Hellen find out that we main him in Smash, then he’ll come for us,” warned Nathan. “All of us.”

“I know,” said Vicky.

“You might want to warn your mom, the royal court and everyone else in the line of succession,” Nathan went on, “and I think you should spend the night in the castle—at least until Luigi defeats and recaptures King Boo.”

Vicky whistled. “That bad, huh?”

“I’ve learned to take anything King Boo-related seriously,” said Nathan. “Seriously, I want you all to be safe, and I’m sure Luigi does, too. Guys—our best bet right now is to stay where we are—and to pray.”

“There’s gotta be something else we can do, though,” mused Vicky. “Maybe if we pinpoint this Last Resort’s exact location…”

Abruptly, Vicky’s feed cut to black, although everyone else could still hear her.

“Hey! Where’d you go?” asked Sophie.

“I’m still here,” said Vicky’s voice. “What’s happening?”

“Your feed’s cutting out on our side,” said Noah.

“It is?”

“Yeah,” said Nathan.

“Hm. Maybe it’s a technical glitch or something.”

Then, Vicky’s feed came back on. Only this time—

…she was no longer alone.

“Vicky!” everyone else screamed.

Vicky spun around just as a swarm of small, white ghosts pounced on her. Her feed glitched wildly as familiar, high-pitched cackles filled the air, mixed with Vicky’s screams. The sounds of a struggle went on for a few moments before a dreadful silence took over.

And then a Boo ominously floated up and grinned into the camera.


	5. Vicky's Happily Never After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for graphic violence and gore.

**October 31, 2019**

**8:24 p.m.**

“Oh, dear God…” rasped Nathan as the Boo leered at him and his online companions.

“Why, hello, there,” cackled the Boo. “Having some fun on Halloween night, are we?”

Nathan composed himself and glared defiantly at the Boo. “What do you want?” he snapped.

“We want to have some Halloween fun, too,” the Boo replied.

“What have you done with Vicky?!” Nate demanded of them.

“Oh, don’t worry,” cooed the Boo. “We’ll grow on her eventually.”

“Get out of this chat right now, you creep!” growled Melanie.

“I believe you’re in no position to give orders, _Melanie_ ,” laughed the Boo. “Oh, yes—we know who you are. We know _where_ you are. And we know what you’re doing.” They cackled again. “We also know that you’re _good fans_ of our friend, Luigi.”

“Yeah?” challenged Sophie, “and what are you gonna do about it?”

Noah shushed her. “Don’t make them mad!” he cautioned.

“Oh, Noah—when it comes to Luigi, we don’t get mad,” said the Boo, “we get even. But I can’t help but wonder—what would fans of a certain celebrity do to ensure said celebrity’s safety? Would they lie? Would they cheat? Would they steal?”

“If you think for one second that we’re gonna do anything for you, then you’re wrong,” Jacqui said bravely.

The Boo laughed. “Fear not—we don’t want anything from you,” they said. “However, we want to spice this video chat up a little bit.” Leering into the camera, he added, “Let’s play a little game, shall we?”

“What game?” asked Elegant.

The Boo held up a cell phone, its camera function on, showing the image of the computer screen multiplying to infinity.

“We see everything you’re doing,” cackled the Boo. “We hear everything you’re saying. And who knows? Perhaps our King is lurking around somewhere in this chat. Nathan can attest to that—his laptop is _special_.”

“What do you mean?” Nathan demanded with a frown. “I won this laptop yesterday.”

“At a tournament which _we_ hosted, no less,” said the Boo. “Now _why_ —would we do that?”

“Oh, sweet Lord,” breathed Nathan as it dawned on him. “You rigged the whole thing, didn’t you—so that I’d win this laptop.”

“Bingo,” smirked the Boo, “and your new laptop isn’t just any other laptop—it’s our King’s old laptop. You didn’t really think he forgot to erase his data from it, did you?”

“Nate,” breathed Melanie, worry in her eyes.

“And now that the cat’s out of the bag, allow me to explain the rules of our little game,” said the Boo. “They’re quite simple, really. If you disconnect from this chat, you die. If you attempt to call the police, you die. And you’ll have the immense pleasure of watching Vicky, Luigi and Mario and Co. go before you. If I’m not clear—tell me.”

“Yes, yes, we’re clear,” said Nathan. “We are _so_ clear.”

“Good,” laughed the Boo. “This is gonna be so much fun.”

With one last cackle, the Boo disabled Vicky’s video feed.

“This is bad,” said Nathan. “This is very, very bad.”

“Nathan, calm down,” said Noah. “I have an idea. You’re not far from Sarasaland’s capital, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay,” said Noah. “We’ll all meet up there and notify Princess Daisy. She’ll know what to do.”

“Are you sure you want to drag her into this?” asked Elegant.

“It’s our only chance,” said Noah. “Daisy will do anything to see her beloved safe. She’s not scared of these Boos.”

_If anyone leaves, it’s bye-bye Luigi,_ warned a message on the Skype chat.

Elegant cursed. “He can hear us!”

_He won’t hear us coming,_ threatened the messenger, presumably the Boo. _We won’t make it quick_. _This is no game_.

“I thought you said we were playing a game!” hissed Elegant.

_We are. But we’re not joking about this. Follow our rules to the letter, and Luigi and co. will live through this—for a while, at least. 3:D_

“[Bleep] you, man—I’m not doing this,” said Jacqui.

_You really don’t have a choice in the matter, do you? Look, it’s easy. You can just chat and play your game and pretend that nothing is wrong. Isn’t pretending_ fun _?_

“Why, yes,” said Melanie. “Yes, it is.”

_All right. You guys do your thing, and we’ll do our thing, and there won’t be any problems, okay?_

“Uh—okay,” said Sophie.

_See? Easy as pie. 3:D_

“Well—we don’t have to just play games,” said Melanie. “We can just—sit around and chat about stuff.”

“True,” said Nathan.

“Okay—what do you all wanna chat about?” asked Elegant. “Smash happenings? I’m all ears for that.”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you could give me lessons,” said Noah. “Luigi’s one of my recent mains. Before then, Peach was my go-to main.”

“We should—totally set up an online match,” said Nathan. “I’ll boot up my Nintendo Switch really quick, and then we can…”

Jacqui’s phone buzzed.

“Sorry, guys,” she said.

She answered her phone and addressed the caller in Canadian French.

“Jacqui—you forgot to mute your mic,” sighed Elegant.

“Okay—when Jacqui’s done, we can all boot up our Nintendo Switches and play a few rounds of Online Smash,” said Nathan.

“Why not?” asked Noah.

Hiding his phone under the table, Nathan sent a few quick messages to Luigi. _Be careful. The Boos know you’ve escaped._

 _Figured. Thx for the warning,_ Luigi replied.

“Hold on, guys,” said Nathan as an idea struck him.

“Okay,” said Elegant.

After disabling the mic and video feed, Nathan switched to the Messenger tab and called up the man in green. “Luigi. Talk to me,” he said.

“I was just about to call you, Nathan,” said Luigi, sounding quite out of breath. “The Professor has set up a lab and command center of sorts in the basement. A safety zone, if you will. It has restrooms, showers, a Training Area, a lounge and even several bedrooms.” 

Nathan took in Luigi’s battered state. “You’ve fought some ghosts, I see.”

Luigi nodded. “I escorted the Professor to the garage so he could get this portable lab out of his car,” he explained. “There, a ghostly bellhop confronted us. I knew he was gonna try to recapture the Professor, so I saw to it that it didn’t happen. That bellhop attacked by throwing suitcases, and those suitcases were huge, but all I was thinking about was defending my mentor.” He allowed himself a smile. “This new Poltergust is _so_ awesome. Do you remember how I can use it to slam my opponents around in Smash? Well, I can do the same to the ghosts in here, slamming them against the floor and into other ghosts. It’s a more aggressive approach to ghost-fighting, and I like that.”

“I can wait to see you slam King Boo around, I’ll tell you that,” said Nathan. “What about those plungers you can fire?”

“That’s called the Suction Shot,” said Luigi. “I can use it to heave objects, get rid of obstacles and yank away shields—and I can also use it as a tether, _unlike_ in Smash. And there’s another mechanic, Burst, which is mainly for crowd control and providing breathing room.”

“Listen, Luigi,” said Nathan. “The Boos have got their hooks into me and the others in my chat room, and they’re using you as collateral to keep us from signing out or getting help. We’ll do what we can, but—I’ve got to warn you, it won’t be much.”

Luigi rubbed his temples. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” he said.

“It’s not your fault, and it’s not the Professor’s fault,” said Nathan. “I’m with you till the end of the line, man.”

“Thanks, Nathan.”

“What’s next?” asked Nathan.

“I’d _like_ to save my friends, but the Professor _insisted_ that I retrieve his briefcase from his hotel room,” huffed Luigi. “Right now, I’m about to head to the fifth floor. That’s where we all were staying before things went to [bleep].”

“Maybe that briefcase holds something important,” said Nathan.

“Yeah. Maybe,” echoed Luigi. “Nate—could you do me a favor?”

“Anything, L.”

“When we finish talking, don’t hang up,” Luigi instructed. “Leave the call active. That way, you’ll know where I am at all times, and I’ll know where you are at all times.”

“Okay,” said Nathan.

“Do your friends have Messenger, too?”

“Yeah. And I believe they have you as a contact.”

“Great. Have them start a group chat with me.”

“Will do. Do you have a phone signal?”

“I do, along with Wi-Fi. The Professor equipped my cell phone with a special device.”

“All right, just checking. Now go get that briefcase!”

“Be careful, Nate,” Luigi said quietly.

“Ditto,” said Nathan.

After muting the video call with Luigi, Nathan individually messaged Noah, Melanie, Sophie, Jacqui and Elegant, telling them that he was about to add them to a group chat with Luigi. Then, he re-enabled the mic and video feed on the Skype call.

“Nathan?” questioned Elegant. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything’s fine,” said Nathan, knowing that the Boos were listening in. “I just set up an arena for some online Smash matches. All of the info you need will be on Messenger. I don’t feel comfortable Skyping it. So—go ahead and open Messenger and check.”

“Okay, okay. I see,” said Elegant, catching on.

“So—you created a separate chat room for our Smash get-together,” said Noah. “That’s cool.”

“Yeah—that’s really cool,” said Sophie.

“Just say ‘hi’. Let everyone know you’re here,” said Nathan.

“You got it,” said Jacqui.

Nathan turned off his video feed and muted the Skype call as he switched back to Messenger. _Okay, Luigi_ , he typed. _Everyone’s here. Except Vicky. The Boos have her, and they’re using her as collateral, too._

 _Hi, Luigi!_ typed Elegant.

_R u all right?_ typed Sophie.

_Lmk when you get this,_ typed Jacqui.

_U can beat him, Luigi!_ typed Noah.

_Here, L,_ typed Melanie.

Nathan had a brainstorm and added Gadd, as well.

Then, he waited, playing some downtempo music to try and stay calm.

_Hey guys_ , Luigi responded. _Thx for starting this chat._

_No prob_ , typed Nathan. _R u on the 5 th floor?_

_Yeah. A ghostly maid has Gadd’s briefcase, and I’m chasing her down rn._

_Wow_ , typed Elegant. _We shouldn’t keep u waiting, then. We’ll check back after u grab the case._

Then, Gadd joined the chat. _Nathan? What’s up?_

_Oh, hey, Prof. I added u to this chat to keep u in the know._

_Thx, but I’ve already established a form of communication with Luigi. It’s a device called the Virtual Boo._

_Virtual Boo? Rings a bell. But what if it’s damaged or something?_

_U know all of my inventions are damage-proof._

_Just sayin’, u need a backup._

_What’s your plan here, sonny?_

_I’m currently in a video call with Luigi. He wants me to leave it active, even when we’re not speaking to each other. Then, he told me to start this group chat so we can easily update each other. Adding u was my idea._

_U can see Luigi?_

_Yeah. He’s trying to get that briefcase of yours. What’s in there, anyway?_

_You’ll find out when I call him back._

_Professor, is that you?_ typed Elegant.

_Yes. Nathan wanted me in this chat, too._

 _I think that’s smart,_ typed Jacqui. _What if the power goes out in the hotel?_

 _Yeah, what if?_ typed Melanie.

Nathan switched back to the Skype chat and re-enabled everything. “Guys,” he said.

“Yeah?” asked Noah.

“I’m thinking about adding the Professor,” he said. “He can watch us play Smash, and maybe we’ll teach him a few tricks. How does that sound?”

“Uh—suit yourself,” said Melanie.

Nathan added Gadd to the Skype call and waited for him to connect.

The diminutive Professor came online seconds later.

“So good to see you, youngsters!” he greeted. “Listen, I…”

Nathan gently shushed him. “We’re playing Smash Bros. Wanna join us?” he asked with a wink.

“Oh! Sure!” said Gadd.

“Check Messenger for the details,” said Nathan.

_I see. You’re using Smash as a cover?_ typed Gadd.

_That’s correct. The Boos could be using Skype to spy on us, so we need to use this Messenger chat to swap ideas on how to help Luigi._

 _He told me that the ghosts have locked the hotel from the inside,_ typed Gadd.

_Yikes_ , typed Sophie.

_But the locks are rather moot at this point, as he made it quite clear to me that he’s not leaving until he’s rescued Mario and the others,_ typed Gadd.

_Luigi’s a good man_ , typed Elegant.

_Say that again_ , typed Gadd.

“So, do you understand how the Smash game works?” asked Nathan.

“Yes, I do,” replied Gadd. “Let’s play.”

“Professor,” said Melanie. “Sophie and I are getting married. Would you like to come to the wedding?”

“Sure,” said Gadd. “Congratulations, and thanks for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome,” said Sophie.

_Wait. The Professor’s here, too?_ typed Luigi.

_Yeah,_ typed Nathan.

_Who added him?_

_I did,_ admitted Nathan.

 _I trust u,_ typed Luigi. _Just b careful, yeah?_

_K._

_U got my briefcase yet, youngster?_ typed Gadd.

_Almost. I’m about to corner the maid in a room under construction. When I saw that room, I got chills. What if it was intended for Daisy?_

 _Focus, L,_ typed Sophie. _Daisy’s a fighter. KB and Hellen wouldn’t have stood a chance._

 _LOL I know,_ typed Luigi. _OK, gtg. Talk to u all soon._

 _K bai_ , typed Nathan.

_On second thought,_ typed Luigi. _Nate, come back to the video call for a moment._

 _Hold on,_ typed Nathan, muting the Skype chat and reopening his Messenger call with Luigi.

He saw that Luigi was in a moonlit corridor, a film of sweat on his face and some fresh bruises on him.

Nathan whistled. “These ghosts aren’t making this easy, are they?” he asked.

“No [bleep], Sherlock,” replied Luigi. “Listen, I have another idea.”

“Shoot.”

“Add the others to our video call,” said Luigi. “It’ll be easier for me to communicate. Plus, I don’t have to stop and text when there are ghosts out and about trying to attack me. And whenever we’re communicating on Messenger, be sure to mute your Skype, because that’s how the Boos are snooping around.”

“You got it,” said Nathan. Switching to the Skype chat, he announced, “Guys, I’m starting a little video get-together for our Smash battles. You down?”

“Yeah, we’re down,” replied Elegant.

“Okay. I’m gonna add you. Sit tight.”

Nathan opened up YouTube and played some footage of Smash Ultimate battles to make it look like he and the others were actually playing the game. Then, he added Elegant, Noah, Melanie, Sophie, Jacqui and Gadd to his video call with Luigi.

Jacqui’s feed was the first to appear. “Hii!” she sang out, imitating a certain pink Star Warrior.

“Hii!” Nathan and Luigi replied in unison.

The others’ video feeds popped up shortly thereafter, and Nathan quickly muted the Skype call and turned off his camera.

“Can everyone hear me okay?” asked Luigi.

“Loud and clear, Luigi,” replied Sophie.

“Are you getting a good picture right now?”

“Yeah,” said Elegant.

“Okay, so as I just told Nate, it’s kinda hard for me to text people and be on the lookout for ghosts, so that’s why we’re switching to video chat,” said Luigi. “Are your mics and cameras disabled on your Skype?”

“They are,” said Melanie.

“Awesome,” said Luigi. “Oh, boy—here comes the ghostly maid. She actually _ate_ the briefcase to keep it away from me.”

“Sounds like one dedicated maid,” mused Noah.

“All right. I’m gonna leave the call active, but I’m gonna turn off my camera and my volume for a brief second, so I won’t get distracted,” said Luigi. “If anything happens, just send me a message, and I’ll rejoin you once I get this briefcase.”

“Good luck,” everyone said in unison.

Luigi’s video feed reverted to his user icon, and then everyone switched back to Skype.

“GGs, everyone,” said Nathan.

“GGs,” said Elegant.

“We don’t have to just play Smash, you know,” said Gadd.

“Yeah, we were playing Cards Against Humanity earlier,” said Nathan. “If you want, then we can split time between the two.”

Gadd’s lips quirked upward in a smile. “Ah, what of it. I’m a bit young at heart,” he said. “I’d love to play Cards Against Humanity with you. In fact, I think there’s a box somewhere in this lab…” Everyone heard the scientist rummaging around. “Aha! Here it is!” Triumphantly, Gadd held up the box. “So. Which of you youngsters wants to go first?”

Before anyone could respond, a “default user” icon popped up on the screen.

“Hey—who’s that?” asked Elegant.

Another “default user” icon appeared. And then another. And another. And another. Until they practically filled Nathan’s screen.

“What the Hell…?” frowned Nathan.

“I don’t like the looks of this!” warned Gadd. “You guys need to hang up on them, and fast!”

“I can’t,” said Nathan. “There’s no ‘hang-up’ button.”

“I can’t hang up on them, either,” said Elegant.

“Or me,” said Noah.

“Same here,” said Melanie as Sophie chewed her bottom lip.

Suddenly, a pair of glowing violet eyes filled the screen.

Everybody jumped.

“God help us,” choked out Nathan. “It’s him.”

“Well, isn’t this touching?” snarled the King of all Boos as he leered at everyone in the chat room. “A bunch of gamers are trying to help their precious Luigi.”

“Try? We _will_ help him!” vowed Nathan.

King Boo laughed that horrible, evil laugh. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” he said, “but you’ll soon find out.”

“Do _you_?” Nathan shot back.

“Feisty, aren’t we?” asked King Boo. “I like that. So— _you_ must be Nathaniel Turner.”

“I am. And I’m not just some gamer with time on my hands. I’m the Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom, engaged to the daughter of Princess Éclair of the Waffle Kingdom. My child grows in her belly.”

King Boo had an amused look. “I’m sorry. Is that supposed to _scare_ me?”

“Buddy, you risk p—ing off the wrong person on the wrong night.”

“Yeah!” Elegant led the charge. “You mess with one of us, and you mess with all of us!”

“Rest assured, I know who you guys are,” hissed King Boo, “but I wonder—are you sure you want to play this game?”

“‘Game’?” Nathan spat incredulously. “All of this is a _game_ to you?!”

“Indeed,” giggled King Boo, “and we’re playing by _my_ rules, not yours.”

“Where’s Vicky?” Nathan demanded of the King.

“I’m afraid that’s irrelevant,” replied King Boo, “and her survival is heavily dependent on how well you follow my rules.”

“I should’ve locked you up tighter and thrown away the key,” growled Gadd.

“Bold words for an old geezer,” said King Boo. “Besides, _you’re_ the reason I’m free!”

“What?” gasped Sophie. “Professor, what is he talking about?”

Gadd’s face paled. “I…”

“Yes, Professor. Why don’t you tell these gamers about the invitation you received in the mail a few weeks ago—sent by the very woman who invited Luigi and his pathetic friends to this hotel, no less!”

“It was—I didn’t…” Gadd spluttered.

“Professor, what in God’s name happened?” Nathan urgently asked.

“I can’t…” Gadd said, a little brokenly. “I can’t—tell you…”

“What’s there to tell?” scoffed King Boo. “My lovely fan club president played on your desire to share your findings with the world, and you bought it hook, line and sinker! Don’t be bashful—step up, and claim your reward.”

“Oh, God…” Gadd choked out. “I’ve doomed us all. This—this is all my fault…” He covered his mouth with both hands, and his shoulders began to shake.

“Professor, please,” entreated Melanie. “Tell us.”

“If Luigi finds out…” Gadd said worriedly.

Everyone gasped as a countdown began to initiate on the Skype chat.

“Wh—why is he counting down?” asked Elegant.

“Professor, for God’s sake, how did King Boo get out?” Jacqui desperately asked.

Gadd breathed a prayer before responding. “I brought him here,” he confessed.

King Boo grinned morbidly. “And I thank you for that,” he sneered.

“Why?” asked Nathan.

“Hellen—she—she invited me to a paranormal science convention she was hosting, and she told me that she’d provide overnight accommodations for its duration,” Gadd explained. “It was just—it was just too good to pass up.”

“And of all of the ghosts you captured, you chose to bring King Boo?” Sophie wanted to know.

“No—Hellen _insisted_ that I bring him!” Gadd defensively shot back. “Try as I might, I couldn’t talk her out of it. So, I warned her that King Boo was very dangerous, and she promised me that she’d take good care of him. She—she was very disarming, okay?” Gadd slumped in his seat. “So, that’s it. That’s what happened.”

Silence. 

“Oh, my God,” Melanie said after a while. “You are so _dead_.”

“How the Hell was I supposed to know it was a trap?!” snapped Gadd. “I was strung along, just the same as Luigi!”

“Or maybe you care more about fame and fortune than you do about Luigi,” said King Boo. “Either way, things worked out in my favor. And we’re just getting started!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, you marshmallow!” snapped Elegant. “Luigi stopped you before, and he’ll stop you again.”

“Don’t count on it, Mr. Star Smash Player,” cackled King Boo. 

“If you touch one hair on Vicky’s or Luigi’s heads,” growled Nathan, “then by God, I’ll have every last ally of the Mushroom Kingdom on your [bleep] before you can say ‘gullible soup’!”

“Follow my rules to the letter, and they’ll live through this,” said King Boo. “Otherwise—you’ll die screaming alongside them. Rule number one—don’t hang up. Rule number two—don’t even _entertain_ the idea of calling the police. Rule number three—stay out of our way. Three very simple rules. Other than that—have fun! It’s Halloween, don’t you know?” He giggled.

“We _were_ having fun, until _you_ came along,” huffed Sophie.

“Say what you will about me and my subjects,” said King Boo, “but we can definitely throw one heck of a party. I trust that you’ll stick around to enjoy the fireworks—not that you have a choice, anyway.”

And with one final cackle, he disappeared, along with the other icons.

Nathan and his friends sat frozen for a few moments, struggling to comprehend what had just transpired.

“We—we…” spluttered Melanie. “We gotta do something.”

“What _can_ we do?” asked Jacqui. “Those Boos probably have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“We have to think of something,” said Gadd.

“He’s right, you guys,” said Nathan. “We’re not gonna let Luigi die on our watch. Speaking of which…” He turned his mic and video feed off and switched back to Messenger.

Luigi’s video feed was back on, showing the ghost hunter sagged against the wall, one arm wrapped around his midsection, breathing heavily. Nathan could hear Polterpup’s wild barking and saw brief glimpses of the ghost puppy as he paced protectively in front of his human.

“Oh, my God, Luigi. Are you hurt?”

“Not that badly,” Luigi replied once he’d regained enough breath. “Got some news for me?”

“Yes, and it’s not good,” said Nathan. “King Boo and his brethren have completely hacked into our Skype chat, and they’re continuing to use you and Vicky as insurance.” He messaged everyone on the group chat, instructing them to come back to the video call. “The King himself just paid us a little visit.”

“Show him no weakness,” exhaled Luigi. “No fear.”

“Of course,” said Nathan. “Look, Luigi. Thanks to the threat against you and Vicky, we can’t call the police. I’ll probably have no choice but to reach out to Princess Daisy for help.”

“Daisy…” Luigi sighed. “Will you—tell her I love her?”

“Of course,” said Nathan. “Where are you now? Did you defeat that maid and get the briefcase?”

Luigi nodded and held up the briefcase, along with a glowing button with a number on it.

“Holy [bleep],” said Elegant. “Is that an elevator button?”

“It is,” said Luigi. “The bellhop I defended the Professor from earlier dropped two of them after I captured him. Something tells me that I’ll have to defeat more ghosts to acquire the others. The hotel has an elevator, you see, and the Professor and I noticed that almost all of the buttons were missing, save for the one that took us to the basement.”

“Excellent work, Luigi,” said Gadd. “Come back to the lab.” 

Nathan nodded. “You look like you just took a beating,” he said.

Luigi drew himself up. “What exactly is your plan here, Nathan?” he asked.

“I’m good friends with one of Princess Daisy’s bodyguards,” Nathan replied. “I’m gonna get in touch with him, and then he’ll alert Daisy of the situation. She’ll know what to do, I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t want Daisy coming out here,” said Luigi. “He’ll use her against me. I don’t care how much she objects—tell her to stay inside her castle with her doors and windows locked.”

“Understood,” said Nathan.

“I’ll have some ice ready for you, my boy,” said Gadd.

“Thanks,” said Luigi. “I’m on my way back now.”

And then he disabled his video feed again.

Nathan and the others switched back to Skype.

“Luigi only knows half of the reason why I ended up here,” said Gadd. “Promise me that you won’t tell him the rest. _Promise me_.”

“He’s gonna find out sooner or later,” said Noah.

“I know,” said Gadd, “but now isn’t the right time.”

The diminutive scientist moved out of the frame, presumably to get some ice and a first-aid kit.

“I’m sure he won’t be that upset,” offered Elegant.

“Yeah,” Jacqui said brightly. “He’ll understand.”

“Hope so,” sighed Gadd.

Then, approaching footsteps sounded from his feed. 

“He’s here,” said the professor.

Gadd turned, and Nathan and his pals heard him greet Luigi. And then Luigi was seated in the camera frame, unbuttoning his overalls and lifting up his shirt. Oaths sprang up when they saw the hideous bruises spattered all over Luigi’s body, the plumber hissing in pain as soon as Gadd placed an ice pack against his abdomen.

“Man, it’s only gonna get worse from here,” said Elegant.

“Don’t fret,” said Gadd as he finished tending to Luigi’s wounds. “Luigi won’t be alone during this go-round.”

“No, he won’t,” said Jacqui. “He has you, and he has us.”

“True,” said Gadd, “but what I really mean is that he literally won’t be alone. I have a companion for him.”

He opened the briefcase Luigi had fetched for him, taking out a lime-green substance and depositing it into the Poltergust’s tank.

“What _is_ that?” asked Melanie.

“I think you mean _who_ is that?” corrected Gadd. “ _That_ is Luigi’s very own personal assistant!”

He directed Luigi to press a button on the Poltergust’s apparatus. When Luigi did so, a green, gooey blob in his likeness popped out of the tank.

“Hey! Gooigi!” Luigi exclaimed with a laugh. “You guys remember Gooigi, right?”

“Yeah—the Professor sent him into the past last year,” said Sophie.

Gooigi noticed the camera and waved. “Ho-ho!” he greeted.

“Hi, Gooigi!” said Elegant.

“Gooigi’s vulnerable to water and flame,” said Gadd, “but he’ll also help Luigi explore perilous and hard-to-reach areas. The two of them may also face situations where teamwork is required.”

“And Polterpup’s also coming with me,” added Luigi as the aforementioned paranormal pup leaped into his arms. “Emotional support, you know?”

“We know,” said Noah.

“From the looks of things, I’ll have to fight my way up every last floor of this hotel,” said Luigi.

“L, we know you can do it,” Elegant said encouragingly, “and we’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“Yeah,” Nathan chimed in. “King Boo and Hellen have nothing on you!”

“Thanks, everybody!” said Luigi. Then, his face fell. “He—he did exactly what he’d said he’d do during our last encounter. He’s targeted not only Mario, but also Peach, the Toads and the Professor.” He raised his head, and his voice hardened as he declared, “That was a mistake.”

“D—n straight,” said Jacqui.

“I don’t care what it takes,” Luigi said determinedly. “I’m gonna get the rest of my friends out of this Hellhole!”

“That’s the spirit!” crowed Nathan.

“Remember to leave the call active, so that you’ll know what happening in real time,” Luigi told them. “Also, you should update as many friends and loved ones as you can, in case the worst should happen.”

“Makes sense,” said Melanie.

“Luigi fans and Luigi mains need to stick together,” added Sophie.

Luigi nodded, his face set. “Time to do this,” he said. “Ready, Gooigi?”

“Ready!” Gooigi replied, his voice quite—gurgly.

“Good luck, Luigi!” exclaimed Jacqui. “We believe in you!”

“Thanks,” beamed Luigi.

He squared his shoulders and strode out. Gadd watched him go before turning back to the others.

“Let’s play some more Smash,” said Nathan, the cue for everyone to return to Messenger.

“Here’s the dealio,” he said over the Messenger call. “I’ve got a close friend in Daisy’s court. He’s one of her bodyguards. I’ll notify him, and in turn, he’ll notify her. I have faith that she’ll react quickly, and woe betide anyone who threatens or harms her man. The trick will be convincing her not to storm the Last Resort herself.”

“Yeah, well—good luck with that,” said Melanie.

Everyone chuckled.

Luigi’s video feed was once again active, showing the man in green riding the elevator with Gooigi, the two of them talking in low voices.

Nathan scrolled down his Messenger contacts and clicked on the name of the old friend he’d mentioned. Taking care not to arouse suspicion, he typed, _If you’re still up, go wake Princess Daisy. Something’s happened to her bf._

Luckily for him, the friend was still awake and promptly responded.

_Nate! WTF happened? Is Luigi okay?_

 _Not really,_ Nathan responded. _King Boo trapped his friends in a haunted hotel, and he’s somehow listening in on our Skype chat. He said that if we sign out or contact the authorities, there will be Hell to pay for Luigi. You need to rouse Princess Daisy immediately and tell her that her bf is in immediate and extreme danger. Have her send some people to the Last Resort._

_Last Resort? Is that the name of the hotel?_

_Yeah._

_U have the location?_

_One moment._

“Uh—Luigi?” said Nathan. “Share your location with us for a second.”

“Sure,” Luigi said, a little distractedly. “Gimme a minute.”

Soon, the coordinates pinpointing Luigi’s location were displayed on the Messenger group chat.

“Thanks,” said Nathan, quickly passing the info on to his friend.

_U got it?_

_Yeah._

_Have Princess Daisy send help to that location. And try to persuade her not to go with them._

_U got it, man. Take care._

_Same. God help us all._

Nathan exited out of the conversation. “All right, I just notified the pal I was talking about,” he said. “He’s gonna pass the news along to Princess Daisy, and she’s gonna send help.”

“I really hope this works, Nate,” said Luigi.

“It will,” Nathan assured him. “Trust me on this. What can possibly go wrong?”

His question was answered when he returned to the Skype chat. 

The “default user” icon suddenly reappeared on the screen.

“ _Now_ what?” huffed Noah.

A video feed came online, showing what appeared to be a shopping mall.

“Hey, genius!” snapped Nathan. “We can see you!”

No answer.

“Hey! Hey, buddy!” called Nathan.

Still nothing.

“Ah—you know what? Screw it,” said Nathan.

He nearly jumped out of his seat when Luigi walked into the shot, joined by Gooigi and Polterpup.

“Hey, Luigi!” called Sophie. “Luigi, can you hear us?”

Luigi turned and ran up to the computer, looking surprised. “I didn’t know they had computers here,” he said.

“There’s a mall inside the hotel?” asked Noah.

“These are the Hotel Shops,” said Luigi. “I have to track down a ghostly security guard to get another of those elevator buttons. Actually, I find him more comical than scary, but I can’t take any chances.”

“What is this, _Paul Blart_?” snickered Nathan.

“That’s _exactly_ who I was thinking about,” said Luigi.

“Well, don’t waste your time chatting with us,” said Gadd. “Get after him, youngster!”

But just as Luigi turned to resume his trek, pink barriers slammed down around him. He brandished the Poltergust, steeling himself for a fight.

_You’re not going anywhere, Luigi_ , someone wrote on the Skype chat. _There’s something I’d like you to see._

“Who’s doing that?” asked Luigi.

“I—I—I think…” spluttered Elegant.

“It’s the Boos,” Nathan responded in a hushed tone.

And then Vicky’s feed came back online, showing her bedroom.

“V—Vicky?” uttered Nathan. “Vicky, are you okay?”

No answer.

“Vicky, please, talk to us!” Nathan desperately cried.

A low, throaty cackle was the sole reply.

Nathan and the others saw Luigi level his Poltergust at the camera. “Leave her alone,” he said. “This is just between you and me.”

_Come now, Luigi_ , the mysterious user typed. _Vicky’s friends are quite worried about her. I thought I’d might let them see how she’s doing._

“If you lay a hand on her, I have friends nearby—very powerful friends—who will make you regret it,” warned Nathan.

_Oooh—I’m_ so _scared_.

The camera on Vicky’s feed panned across her bedroom, stopping at the bed.

And there—

There was Vicky.

Her wrists and ankles were bound to the bedposts, keeping her in a spread-eagled position. She’d also been stripped naked, chill bumps visible on her skin. Everyone could hear her breathing heavily as she struggled futilely against her bonds, sweating, her hair disheveled and her eye pupils dilated.

A third video feed popped up, King Boo’s face filling the frame, licking out his tongue at the other users and laughing.

Luigi jumped back with a yelp.

“Hi, guys,” King Boo said casually. “Just checking on you.”

“What do you want with Vicky?” snapped Nathan.

“I want her to be an example,” smirked King Boo. “I want to make it very clear that you won’t get any warnings if you attempt to defy my rules. And who would make for a better assistant in that regard than your lovely fiancée?”

“What kind of soul threatens a pregnant woman?” Gadd hotly asked.

“The kind with nothing left to lose, Professor,” King Boo told him.

“Let her go!” Luigi spoke up, having regained his nerves. “Let all of them go! I’m the one you want!”

“Luigi, Luigi—still as selfless as ever,” cooed King Boo. “Unfortunately, I’m not content with just you. By the time this night is over, everyone you’ve ever loved will be among my collection.”

Luigi narrowed his eyes. “Over my dead body,” he vowed.

“A generous proposal, but I frankly prefer you alive—for the time being,” cackled the King. “First, however…”

There was the unnerving sound of cackling Boos as the little monsters gathered around the bound and helpless Vicky.

“Watch very closely,” hissed the King.

Vicky struggled more desperately than ever as the Boos leered at her. And then Nathan’s heart stopped cold in his chest when each of them brandished a wicked-looking knife, their blades gleaming menacingly.

“Vicky! No!” Nathan screamed.

Everyone else began shouting at once as the Boos plunged their knives into Vicky’s swollen belly—again and again and again. Blood was flying out in ribbons and splattering against the walls, the Boos cackling as Vicky screamed in pain and fear. Nathan was paralyzed as the woman he loved was brutally butchered in front of him; he could barely breathe, and his hands gripped the armrests of his chair. Elegant, Noah, Jacqui, Melanie and Sophie were yelling out in horror as Polterpup whimpered and Gadd prayed aloud. Nathan caught a glimpse of Luigi attempting to shield Gooigi from the grisly sight.

“Oh, God! Vicky! _Vicky!!_ ” Nathan roared as a Boo drove their knife into Vicky’s stomach one last time before ripping it out. Viscera spilled everywhere, tears beginning to pour out of Vicky’s eyes as she coughed up thick blood. The Boos then reached into what was left of her womb—and that was when nausea hit Nathan hard. He turned away from his laptop and retched.

The screams from the others were enough to tell him exactly what the Boos pulled out.

“Hey, Nate—want a look?” King Boo mockingly asked.

“No…” Nathan hoarsely uttered.

“Too bad you don’t have a choice,” said King Boo. “Now, _look_! Or would you rather watch Luigi die here and now?”

Slowly, Nathan raised his head and stared at his child, the child stolen from him before they even took a breath.

“How long do I have to look?” he whispered.

“As long as it pleases me,” replied King Boo.

“You b—d,” Luigi uttered, looking positively sickened as he held Gooigi in his arms. “King Koopa has more honor than you!”

Elegant had his eyes downcast, muttering a prayer. Jacqui had a hand pressed against her mouth. Noah fumed. Melanie and Sophie wept quietly in each other’s arms.

“At least they’re together in Heaven now,” snickered King Boo.

Nathan clenched his fists. “You S.O.B.,” he snarled. “I was about to leave you and your minions to your own devices, but now—you just made this personal. I’m looking forward to watching Luigi kick your [bleep].”

Luigi nodded vigorously, his face tight. “When I catch up with you, you’re in for a _world of pain_!” he vowed.

King Boo just laughed. “I wouldn’t count on it,” he smirked. With a final leer at his archnemesis, he added, “See you soon, old buddy.”

The Master of Illusions then hung up, leaving Nathan and company reeling from what they’d just witnessed.


	6. Jacqui's Grand Masterpiece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter contains nudity, sexual references and disturbing content.

**October 31, 2019**

**9:10 p.m.**

Nathan sat there, hugging himself, as he grieved for his fiancée and unborn child. Hot tears dripped down his face, his breath shuddering as sob after sob choked him. He could hear his friends, Luigi and Gadd trying to comfort him, but he was barely consolable. His future had been violently ripped from him, all in the name of what the Boos considered “good fun”. 

Vicky’s feed was still running, showing her eviscerated body tied to her bed, and everyone could hear the faint screams of the castle’s other occupants as the Boos attacked them. Morbid cackling also filled the air, and upbeat party music played throughout, serving to add to the horror. As the minutes passed, the screams quieted, and Nathan could feel his stomach beginning to fall out of his posterior as he put two and two together.

When the last scream faded, there was another round of cackling before Vicky’s feed was booted from the chat.

_Vicky—game over. 3:D_

Nathan’s head fell into his hands.

The “default user” icon reappeared, signifying King Boo’s return to the Skype chat.

_This is one of those life-altering moments,_ he typed. _Do I have your full and undivided attention?_

“Yes,” Nathan said dully.

_Vicky lost Round 1, but the game isn’t over yet. Who’s up for Round 2? 3:D_

“God help us,” said Elegant.

_He’s not listening right now, Elegant. As of right now, *I* am your God. My power and mere pleasure is keeping your beloved Luigi alive, after all._

“What has he done to you?” Jacqui suddenly lashed out, “besides suck you up in a vacuum? If anything, that was _your_ fault!”

“Jacqui…” Gadd spoke in a warning tone.

“Well, it’s true!” balked Jacqui. Glaring at King Boo’s feed, she continued, “You should’ve known the risks when you allied yourself with the Koopa King! And you put Luigi on the warpath when you directly antagonized Mario! Did you really think Luigi would let his fears overpower him and abandon his big brother! Well, shame on you!”

_Are you saying I was asking for it, Jacqui? That I_ wanted _to be sealed in a painting for twelve years and then stuck in a vault for five more?_

“Getting sucked into the Poltergust was all on _you_!” Jacqui said hotly. “Luigi’s friends had _nothing_ to do with that!”

_So, you_ are _saying that I asked for it._

“Oh, don’t even _try_ to play the victim here!” spat Jacqui. “You put Mario and Luigi through a lot of b.s., okay? Even after eighteen years, they still have nightmares about it, and the stunt you pulled in 2013 certainly didn’t help! When are you just gonna let it go, huh?”

“Jacqui, settle down,” said Luigi.

“I have no intention of settling down!” snapped Jacqui. “This psychopath had his minions stab a pregnant woman to death in front of me, and he’s forcing us to play some twisted game! Well, guess what, King Boo, I’m tired of this game—so let’s play a new game. My rules, not yours. Either you let Mario, Peach and the Toads go right now, or I’m gonna march right over to that hotel and knock the trash from your ears. How’s _that_ for a game?”

_You wouldn’t last five minutes. Besides, this is more fun._

“It sure as [bleep] isn’t fun to us,” growled Jacqui.

“Jacqui—you’re giving King Boo and his subjects exactly what they want,” cautioned Elegant. “Just take a deep breath, and…”

“What’s going on here?” a slightly skittish yet authoritative voice came from Luigi’s feed.

Luigi whirled about, Poltergust poised. “Stay back!” he cried. “I’m not afraid to use this!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” A rather heavyset ghost wearing a pair of dark shades and a night guard’s uniform came into view, armed with what appeared to be a Maglite. “Easy there, buddy. I don’t want any trouble, all right?”

Luigi kept his Poltergust trained on the ghost. “Don’t move,” he commanded.

“Okay, first of all, _I_ give the orders,” retorted the ghost. “Second of all, I really don’t want to hurt you. So _please_ , try and calm down. I would prefer not to get into a scuffle inside my mall.”

“How can I trust you?” Luigi demanded of the ghost. “How can my friends trust you? You answer to someone who’s been in my nightmares for 18 years!”

“I answer to no one, pal,” the ghost shot back. “Wait a minute—your friends? Wha…?”

The ghost looked past Luigi and into the camera. “Oh, hey!” he greeted. “How’s it going?”

“Don’t. F—ing. Talk to them,” spat Luigi.

The ghost held up his hands placatingly. “I’m not gonna hurt them,” he said. “I just heard screams and yelling and I figured—something was wrong.”

“Something’s _definitely_ wrong,” Jacqui said hotly. “A mother and her unborn baby were graphically butchered, and the b—d responsible made us watch!”

“Whoa!” exclaimed the ghost. “Someone was _murdered_?!”

“Yes, sir,” said Nathan.

“Okay. All right,” said the ghost, withdrawing a notepad and pencil. “Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me what happened?”

“You mean you don’t know?” huffed Jacqui.

“Yeah, you’re probably one of his cronies,” snapped Sophie.

“Whose cronies?” asked the ghost.

“King Boo,” said Luigi, “and he’s been making my life miserable for nearly _two decades_!”

“You mean—the guy who gave me this?” asked the ghost, holding up his key ring, to which an elevator button was attached. “He told me to watch it and make sure you don’t take it.”

“So you _are_ working for him,” Noah said bitterly.

“What? No! I serve and protect, not have people _killed_!” spluttered the ghost.

“You don’t look like a malicious ghost, I’ll give you that,” Gadd admitted after a beat.

“Are you supposed to be a ghostly Paul Blart?” Melanie chimed in.

The ghost smiled at the comment. “That’s what they call me,” he chuckled. Clearing his throat, he added, “My name’s Kruller. Y’know, like the donut. And I enjoy my job. Now, for God’s sake, could you tell me what’s going on here?”

“Okay,” relented Nathan. “King Boo—the guy who gave you that elevator button—has five people trapped in portraits, and Luigi—that’s the guy holding the vacuum on you—is on a mission to rescue them. My friends and I were hanging out on Skype, but then King Boo found his way into our chat, and he’s currently playing a sadistic ‘game’ with us. He’s using Luigi as collateral to keep us from calling the police, and my fiancée…” His voice choked.

“Your fiancée—the woman who was murdered—she was…?” gasped Kruller.

“The Boos ambushed and attacked her, tied her to the bed, and—oh, God…”

“It was—a warning,” Luigi said softly.

“They stabbed her again and again and again, and then they yanked out our unborn child and made me look,” Nathan said mournfully.

“King Boo—ordered the death of a pregnant woman?! Over a Skype chat?! And they…?!” Kruller appeared beside himself. “God—mit! It never gets any easier!”

He took a few breaths, composing himself. “Oh, man,” he said. “I’m really sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” said Nathan, “but mark my words, King Boo will pay. I swear on the spirits of Vicky and our child, King Boo will pay.”

“Nathan, focus,” said Luigi. “Revenge won’t bring them back. But one way or another, I’ll get justice for your family.”

Kruller took off his cap and held it over his heart, bowing his head.

“I did _not_ sign on for this,” he muttered after a while, detaching the elevator button from his key ring and giving it to Luigi. “You’re gonna need this. King Boo has other ghosts patrolling this hotel, hiding more of these.”

“And my goal is to get every last one of them,” said Luigi. “Thank you, Kruller. I’m not gonna capture you, since you didn’t actually try to hurt me.”

Kruller smiled. “Great,” he said. “Be sure to help yourself to some coffee and donuts on the way out.” He patted Luigi on the shoulder before floating away.

“I’m sorry, Nathan,” said Luigi. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.”

“I don’t blame you,” said Nathan. “You can’t be in two places at once.”

“I still feel bad, though,” said Luigi. “Jacqui…”

“Yeah?” Jacqui piped up.

“I know there’s a lot going on right now. But yelling at and cursing out the Boos is only gonna make things worse.”

“Look what they did to our friend,” said Jacqui.

“I just don’t want you playing into their hands,” said Luigi. “They’re counting on you to react—but you can’t give in. You have to be strong.”

“Luigi, I get that you’re trying to look out for us,” said Jacqui, “but I’m a big girl. I know how to swim. And I’m not afraid of any Boos.”

“You need to be cautious, though,” said Luigi. “The Boos aren’t the type who let grudges go—and that goes triple for their King. He told me himself that he was gunning for everyone I’ve ever loved, and now he’s delivered on that promise. Which is why I’m not comfortable with Nathan getting Daisy involved.”

“If anyone else has any better ideas, then they should by all means share them,” said Nathan.

“I know someone who lives near the Last Resort,” said Jacqui. “In fact, I was just talking to him earlier and telling him about the situation. The Boos said that if _we_ called the police, then we’d suffer the consequences. But perhaps if someone was—made aware—of the situation, and _they_ contacted the authorities, then that would be a different story, right?”

“Maybe,” said Luigi.

He rolled the elevator button Kruller had given him in his fingers. “I’d better get a move-on,” he said, “but remember what I said, Jacqui. If you want to survive, then you need to keep a level head.”

“I’ll try,” said Jacqui.

“Don’t try,” said Luigi. “Do.”

“Okay,” Jacqui said quietly.

Luigi then narrowed his eyes at the camera. “You’ve won this battle, King Boo,” he said, “but I’m gonna win the war. I’m gonna get my friends back. And then I’ll make sure you never terrorize anyone again.”

He set his lips and then exited the Skype chat.

Silence.

Then—

“I’m gonna get something to drink,” said Nathan. “Be right back.”

He headed into his kitchen and grabbed a chilled bottle of sweet wine, along with a wine glass. Then, he sat back at his computer, opened the wine bottle, and filled his glass to the brim.

“Nate,” said Elegant.

“Yeah?” asked Nathan.

“We have a plan, and I think it will work,” said Elegant. “You might want to connect your phone to a charger for this. We have to use our phones, because…”

“I know.”

“I’m going to open up a chat room on Facebook so—we can play a game,” said Elegant. “Here’s the thing. You have to open an incognito tab on your browser. Otherwise, the game won’t function properly. Once I start the game, we’ll all mute our computers until the game is finished.”

“What kind of game is it?” asked Nathan.

“Nate—just trust us,” said Melanie. “It’s a really fun game, and we know you’ll like it.”

“Uh—okay,” said Nathan, plugging in his phone and beginning to follow Elegant’s instructions.

“All right, did the chat window pop up?” asked Elegant.

“Yes,” said Nathan.

“Hold on, guys, I…” Noah said before Nathan disabled the mic and opened the Messenger window.

_Luigi_ , he typed, _Elegant’s setting up a game for us. It may help you._

_Kinda busy,_ Luigi replied. _Sorry._

Elegant sent a message in the Facebook chat. _Guys?_

 _Here,_ typed Nathan.

Noah, Melanie, Sophie, Gadd and Jacqui typed the same thing.

_Okay,_ typed Elegant. _We’re all FB friends with Luigi, right?_

 _Right,_ typed Sophie.

_All right. Here’s the dealio. We’re gonna post about the situation on his timeline, so that his other FB friends will swing into action. Then, we’re gonna go to our own home feeds and tag him in a post to get OUR FB friends to help._

 _And we should have them reach out to Luigi as well, via Messenger,_ typed Melanie.

_We should maintain contact with Luigi, his FB friends and our FB friends during this time. We must ask them to keep us updated on whatever actions they choose to take. On the Skype chat, we have to act normal, or else the Boos will suspect something,_ typed Elegant.

_OMG Elegant, you’re a genius_ , typed Nathan.

_The second I end this chat, I want you to go to Luigi’s profile and write on his timeline. Chop-chop, everybody!_

The chat window disappeared, and Nathan typed Luigi’s name into the search box, accessed his profile, and composed a post briefly explaining what was going on, making sure to include the hotel’s address. He posted something similar on his news feed, and then he used the Messenger app on his phone to communicate with Luigi.

_My friends and I just posted on your FB timeline. We’re getting as much help as we can._

_You think one of them can call the police and go unnoticed by the Boos?_

_That’s our hope._

_Okeydokey. Keep me posted._

_Same here._

“Is everyone finished playing?” asked Nathan as he turned his mic back on.

“Gimme a minute,” said Jacqui, her eyes looking down at her phone. Then, she looked back up. “Okay, I’m done.”

“That was a very fun game,” said Melanie. “Thank you, Elegant.”

“My pleasure, of course,” said Elegant.

Nathan returned to the Messenger video call and saw Luigi exploring a brightly-lit room.

“Luigi…?” he asked.

“This is the mezzanine,” Luigi explained. “Polterpup was so excited when we walked in. This is the kitchen and dining area of the mezzanine, you see, and I guess my doggie was hungry.”

“Uh-huh,” said Nathan. “Hey guys—come back.”

“What’s up?” asked Jacqui.

“Luigi’s exploring a dining area,” said Nathan.

“Yeah, like they’ll hide an elevator button in a restaurant,” eyerolled Sophie.

“Or maybe a ghost with an elevator button is lurking around,” Luigi told them, shifting his grip on his phone as he pushed open the door to the main dining area.

And then he stopped.

“What is it?” asked Noah.

Luigi put a finger to his lips in response.

_Ghosts_ , he typed in the chat. _Need to stay quiet for a bit._

Nathan, his friends and Gadd watched Luigi silently venture further into the main dining area—and then wince as he accidentally knocked over a bottle of olive oil. They saw the ghosts whip around—and then grin as they armed themselves with whatever was on hand at the moment and advanced on Luigi.

“So much for that,” Luigi muttered under his breath as he engaged the ghosts.

Nathan couldn’t watch the tussle, so he switched back to Skype, inviting the others to do the same.

“Who’s up for some more Cards Against Humanity?” he asked.

“Yeah—I need something to do right now,” murmured Jacqui.

Once everyone had their cards situated, the round began.

Nathan went first. “What are my parents hiding from me?”

“Uh…” responded Noah. “A turducken.”

“Slash fics,” said Elegant.

“NSFW fanart of my favorite cartoon character,” offered Jacqui.

“An extra-large pizza,” said Melanie.

“A Ouija board,” said Sophie.

“Rick Astley,” said Gadd.

Laughter erupted.

“Professor Gadd wins,” said Nathan. “Wanna go next, Prof?”

Gadd withdrew a card. “I don’t mean to brag, but they call me the Michael Jordan of blank.”

“Pigheadedness,” volunteered Jacqui.

“Eating Subway,” offered Noah.

“Getting laid,” said Elegant.

“Internet memes,” said Nathan.

“Trolling,” said Sophie.

“Frequent flyer miles,” chimed in Melanie.

“I’ll go with Noah,” said Gadd. “Nathan—er, could you…?”

“On it,” said Nathan, unmuting the Messenger chat.

Luigi and Gooigi sat at one of the tables, recovering from the skirmish. The former’s clothes were a little rumpled, there was sugar and cream filling on his face and shirt and in his hair, larger bruises were visible, and there was what Nathan hoped was raspberry or strawberry filling smeared on Luigi’s skin. But it looked too much like blood.

“You got them?” asked Nathan.

“Obviously,” replied Luigi, licking traces of dessert off of himself. “I can’t believe they’d waste food like that.”

A gooey hand came into the shot, skimming through more of the dessert on Luigi.

“My stomach’s growling at me,” Luigi went on, “so Gooigi and I are gonna have a bite to eat before looking around the kitchen.” He indicated the small plate of food before him.

“Don’t gorge too much,” cautioned Elegant as he, too, returned to the Messenger chat.

“That won’t be a problem,” said Luigi.

“I’m glad to see you’re looking after yourself, despite the circumstances,” said Gadd.

“It’s just a quick break,” Luigi told him, “and then I’m back in the game. It’s not really a game, but you know.”

“Gooigi,” said Nathan. “Take care of him, yeah?”

“Okeydokey!” Gooigi replied, giving a thumbs-up.

“Great,” muttered Noah when everyone was back on the Skype chat. “Now _I’m_ hungry. I’m gonna order a pizza.”

“I’m probably gonna order some Chinese later on,” said Nathan. _I need_ something _to keep me going through this madness_.

“If you’re all still down with meeting up at my place, then I can hook you up with a magnificent feast from several of my favorite fast food places,” said Elegant.

“We _would_ be down—but we can’t sign out,” said Melanie.

“Then don’t sign out,” said Elegant. “You can always use the mobile app, right? They only said that we couldn’t disconnect from the chat. They never said anything about leaving our current locations.”

“You’re right,” said Jacqui. “They didn’t.”

A new feed appeared on the Skype chat, showing a dining area similar to the one Luigi and Gooigi were in.

“What the…?” Nathan uttered.

“This again?” huffed Elegant.

“Luigi!” called Jacqui. “Check and see if there’s a computer nearby!”

Faintly, they heard Luigi’s voice. “Ah—yeah! There’s a laptop on one of the tables! Hold on!”

Luigi hurried into the frame and sat down, bringing his almost-finished plate of food with him. “Who would leave their laptop here—and why?” he asked.

“Why don’t I want to find out?” shuddered Melanie.

Luigi popped the last of the plate’s contents into his mouth and wiped his lips. “That was nourishing,” he said, his mouth full of food. After swallowing, he went on. “Listen—I’d love to chitchat, but I just saw some smoke coming from the kitchen. Chances are, there’s a ghost in there, and if I don’t do something, then they’ll burn the d—n place down!”

He jumped slightly as those pink barriers slammed down, and he quickly stood up, readying himself for another battle.

_Having fun?_ King Boo typed.

“Oh, yeah,” Elegant replied. “We’re definitely having fun. Aren’t we having fun, you guys?”

Everyone nodded.

_I hope you’ve calmed down, Jacqui._

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m cool,” said Jacqui.

_Good. Because I have something to show you._

Jacqui frowned as the “default user” icon popped up on another feed.

_I hear you have a bit of an eye for art. Particularly—murals._

“What’s that got to do with anything?” asked Jacqui.

_You’ll see. 3:D_

“I swear, if you hurt her…” Luigi started to say.

_Luigi, sit down and STFU._

“Why don’t _you_ STFU and stay the [bleep] out of my life?!” Luigi retorted.

“Easy, youngster,” cautioned Gadd.

Luigi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Now that Luigi’s pulled himself together, we can all enjoy the show,_ typed King Boo.

The “default user” icon switched to a video of Jacqui strolling downtown.

“Wow, look at that,” she was saying, indicating a large mural behind her. “Isn’t that beautiful?”

“Oh, yeah,” replied the person she was addressing. “It’s very artistic.”

“That’s the thing about murals,” said Jacqui in the video. “They really make a city—pop. Transforming otherwise drab parts of town into a small museum of sorts. And you don’t even have to pay to get in.”

The person she was addressing chuckled.

“As a matter of fact, I know an area near my house that could use a mural,” Jacqui went on. “There’s an old building that used to be an indoor play-place. I used to go there every Friday when I was a kid.” She sighed. “It closed down about ten years ago, and there’s a stone wall enclosing it to keep trespassers away. I—think I’ll write to the city council about having a mural painted on that wall.”

The video then fast-forwarded to Jacqui and the other person seated on a bench, eating hot dogs.

“Do you want to know something?” asked Jacqui.

“What?”

“I’d _love_ to be in a mural,” confessed Jacqui. “Immortalized in vibrant colors for all to see.”

The video then rewound.

“I’d _love_ to be in a mural.”

Rewind.

“I’d _love_ to be in a mural.”

Rewind.

“I’d _love_ to be in a mural.”

Rewind.

“I’d _love_ to be in a mural.”

The feed then reverted to the “default user” icon as Jacqui’s lights blinked off and on.

“Jacqui,” Luigi said in a low voice. “Drop whatever you’re doing and get out of there _fast_.”

“You guys…” was all Jacqui said before her feed began to freeze and glitch.

“Jacqui?” called Elegant. “Jacqui, what’s going on?!”

Jacqui’s feed then disconnected.

Everyone cursed.

“Let me try to call her back,” said Nathan, working to re-establish the connection.

When the connection was restored, he was unable to see anything from Jacqui’s side—but he and the others could hear screaming and the sounds of a struggle. Then, some Boos cackled before the connection was once again lost.

Everybody was goggle-eyed.

“Is—is she okay?” Luigi sharply questioned. “Jacqui!”

“Wh—what did you do?” Elegant demanded of the King. “ _What did you do?!_ ”

_Elegant, chill. We just granted her wish._

Gadd looked nauseous. “Oh, _no_ …” he said.

“You—you’re not saying she…” breathed Luigi.

_Oh, yes I am. 3:D_

Another video played, showing the camera slowly zooming in on the location Jacqui mentioned in the previous video. There was an old building surrounded by a stone wall. And on the front of that stone wall was a mural—of Jacqui.

“Oh, God,” Luigi said brokenly.

Her dark hair was fanning her face, her mouth frozen wide open in a scream. She was nude, her body stretched across the entire length of the wall. And her arms were stretched above her, as if they were pinned by an unseen force.

Slowly, the camera panned along the new “mural”, offering the unwilling audience a good, long look, before swiveling around to reveal a Boo.

“Now _that_ —is a thing of beauty,” said the Boo before the feed disconnected.

_Jacqui—game over. 3:D_

“Holy mother of Mary,” whispered Gadd, crossing himself.

The barriers in the dining room lifted, and Luigi wasted no time.

“I’m on the move,” he said.

“Go! Go!” Nathan commanded.

Disconnecting the feed, Luigi did just that.

Elegant was red in the face. “This is—this is f—ed up, you hear me?!” he bellowed. “I’m tired of this!”

“I don’t wanna do this anymore!” blubbered Sophie, clutching Melanie like a lifeline.

_Too bad—because we’re still playing_ , typed King Boo. _It’s time for Round 3. And here’s where things get interesting…_


	7. Elegant's Explosive Exit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter contains sexual references, disturbing content, blood and character death.

**October 31, 2019**

**9:46 p.m.**

What started out as a Halloween-themed online hangout was now a night of horror. Nathan’s life, along with the lives of his remaining friends, rested in the hands of cute but sadistic ghosts whose King had a score to settle. Two people (three, if you counted Nathan and Vicky’s unborn child) had died in a grisly fashion in front of them, and if they made one slight misstep, then they were likely to follow suit, along with Luigi and his friends. Their only two lifelines consisted of an elderly professor and inventor whose mind may or may not be going and the hope that the mustachioed man in green would once again triumph over his fears and save the day with the Poltergust G-00.

_Are you ready to keep playing?_ King Boo typed.

“Okay, fine! Yes, we’re ready!” said Nathan.

_Let’s hope you all can make it to the next round._

“Well, how many rounds are there?” Elegant wanted to know.

_This game will go on for as long as we want. 3:D_

“Aw, man! You know what—you can take this game and shove it!” snapped Elegant.

“Elegant, stop!” cried Sophie.

“You saw what happened to Jacqui and Vicky,” added Gadd. “The Boos can be outright terrifying when pushed far enough.”

“You think I’m afraid of them?” bellowed Elegant. “Well, I’m not! You hear that, King Boo?! You don’t scare me!” He spread his arms wide. “Come on over, man! Come and get some!”

“Elegant, please!” entreated Nathan.

He was distracted by the sounds of scuffling from his Messenger chat. There was banging, bumping, crashing and someone angrily shouting in French.

“Uh-oh,” murmured Nathan, disabling his Skype video feed and mic and switching back to Messenger.

His remaining friends and Gadd soon joined him. And on Luigi’s feed, they saw a ghost wearing a chef’s hat and smock and sporting a thick moustache, holding a large frying pan, which he was currently swinging at the man in green.

“Luigi? Who in God’s name is _that_?” asked Nathan. “What’s going on in there?!”

“Nate.” Luigi sounded quite stressed and slightly panicked. “I’m smack in the middle of a boss fight, and I can’t talk right now! Just…” Nathan saw the camera dodge out of the way of an incoming attack. “Just make sure your friends can see this, okay?”

“Uh—okay. Call me when you beat this guy, whoever he is.”

“That’s Soulffle, and he’s a chef ghost. Gooigi and I accidently made him drop some fish he was grilling, and on top of that, he has an elevator button.”

The Poltergust’s nozzle came into view, a watermelon attached to it. The watermelon was then ejected from the nozzle and hit the frying pan, knocking it away from the ghost. Nathan and the others heard Luigi take a preparatory breath as the Strobulb hummed.

“I’ll leave you to it. Be careful!”

Back on Skype, Nathan, Melanie, Sophie, Noah and Gadd exchanged looks.

“For the time being, we’ll just have to do what King Boo says,” sighed Nathan. “Let’s just be cool and—play a game or something.”

“Okay,” said Sophie. “We can do that. Who—who wants to go first?”

Silence. Tension hung in the air.

“I’ll go,” Sophie finally said, choosing a card. She gave a soft laugh when she looked it over. “If I were a _Game of Thrones_ character, my house sigil would be blank.”

“A stingray,” said Noah.

“A giant enemy crab,” said Nathan.

“A gigantic c—k,” said Elegant.

“A beaker,” said Gadd.

Sophie laughed. “I’ll go with Nathan,” she said.

Elegant shrugged. “I thought mine was pretty good, but whatever. Hey, Noah—you wanna go next?”

“Well—okay,” said Noah. “I definitely ship blank with blank.”

Sophie blew air between her lips. “I definitely ship Iron Man with Captain America.”

“I definitely ship Mario with spaghetti,” said Nathan.

“I definitely ship Professor Gadd with Professor X,” shrugged Elegant.

“What?” balked Gadd.

“Sorry,” said Elegant. “First thing that came to my mind.”

“Well, then,” said Gadd. “I definitely ship Gooigi with Luigi.”

“Oh, my God!” Nathan couldn’t resist a laugh. “That is _so_ …wow!”

“Now _that_ I’d like to see,” said Melanie.

Nathan saw that Noah had sent him a private message. _I need administrative access to your computer._

_What for?_

_I’m going to copy the stuff from that hidden folder and save it to my flash drive._

_I trust you._

Nathan clicked on “Settings” and did as Noah bade him.

_Nate, what is Noah doing?_ King Boo typed.

“He’s helping me play the game,” Nathan said calmly.

“Uh—my turn,” said Elegant. “But before I kill you, Mr. Bond, I must show you blank.”

“An embarrassing photo of you getting [bleep]-faced at a bar,” said Noah.

“A big, fluffy unicorn,” said Sophie.

“The key to world peace,” said Gadd.

“Er—my gigantic c—k,” offered Melanie.

“What is this, a YouTube Poop?” asked Nathan, rolling his eyes. “Uh—I must show you—a gooey doppelganger of myself.”

“I’m gonna go with Sophie,” said Elegant.

_Okay, I have a copy of the files,_ messaged Noah.

_Gr8_ , Nathan messaged back.

“Guys,” he heard Luigi say softly. “Guys, come back for a sec.”

After disabling their mic and video feeds, the sextet obliged.

Luigi was seated inside the hotel’s elevator, once again cradling his midsection, blood smeared on the lower half of his face, one eye swollen shut. Gooigi sat next to him, holding his free hand, while Polterpup paced restlessly, occasionally pausing to nuzzle against his human.

“Lord have mercy,” breathed Sophie.

“J—s C—st,” added Elegant.

“It’s not that bad,” Luigi assured them, but they heard the pain in his voice.

“But you defeated that chef ghost, right?” asked Melanie.

“I did,” replied Luigi. “Gooigi and I used some of the fruit in the kitchen, along with the fish Soulffle tossed at us, to knock the frying pan out of his hands and give us a clear shot. He didn’t make it easy, but all I was thinking about was them.” He paused, and there was a slight crack in his voice which he promptly shoved away. “He took his defeat pretty well, giving us free run of his kitchen before I sucked him into the vacuum. But then Gooigi and I wound up chasing some mice who decided to play hot potato with the elevator button. That little excursion took away my appetite.”

Gooigi took a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from Luigi’s face. “S’okay, Luigi,” he said. “S’okay.”

“Elegant,” said Luigi.

“Yeah?” replied Elegant.

“You need to find a place of sanction. King Boo probably knows that you main me in Smash, and that you’re among the top players who do so—which means that you’re in the most danger. In fact—you all should decide on a place to meet up in case things go from bad to worse.” Luigi turned his face away and coughed. When he turned back, fresh blood was on his lips.

Gadd looked aghast. “Luigi, get back to the Lab posthaste, and that’s an order!” he cried.

Luigi huffed. “Fine,” he said. “Nate, Mel, Sophie, Elegant—listen to me. King Boo knows that you’re part of my fanbase, which is no doubt why he targeted you in the first place. You all need to be ready in case he decides to step up his game. Designate a meeting spot and bring enough food, water and first aid to last about two weeks.”

“But he said that if we leave…” said Noah.

“He won’t have to know that you left,” said Luigi. “You’ll have to trick him into thinking that you haven’t. Take some video footage and put it on loop, or gif a photo or _something_. Or better yet—go underground so they’ll have more trouble tracking down your laptops.”

Nathan and his four online companions heard the elevator ding and saw Luigi, Gooigi and Polterpup emerge onto the basement floor. Gooigi slipped an arm around Luigi’s shoulders, and by the camera’s movements, everyone could tell that the green-clad ghost-wrangler was limping.

“If your browser has an incognito mode, then you should enable it now,” Luigi was saying. “That’s the only other alternative I can think of.”

He and his companions proceeded into the parking garage, and then into the Lab.

Nathan and the others saw denim in Luigi’s video feed as he pocketed his phone. The man himself was now visible in Gadd’s feed, plunking himself into a chair the professor offered him. Slowly, Luigi unbuttoned his coveralls and took off his shirt, revealing even larger and uglier bruises on his upper body. There was _swelling_ , too.

“That sick [bleep],” Elegant angrily muttered. “That sick [bleep].”

“The Last Resort is pulling out all the stops, and it’s not letting up anytime soon,” said Melanie. “Luigi’s right—we need to brainstorm a rendezvous point. The citizens of San Francisco met up at a fountain after that quake in 1906.”

“I know just the place,” said Elegant. “There’s a 24-hour diner not far from my place where Smash tournaments are frequently held. We’ll meet up at a private booth and plan our next move.”

“I can make a few phone calls,” offered Gadd as he addressed Luigi’s latest injuries, “and arrange for you to stay at a posh hotel for a few weeks. Do you prefer Hyatt or Best Western?”

“Either is fine,” said Nathan. “How long will that take?”

“Five minutes, tops,” replied Gadd. “In the meantime, I’d recommend that you start gathering your things. I’ll let you know when everything’s all set.”

“Could you send someone to pick us up?” asked Elegant.

“I will,” said Gadd. “She’s a trustworthy associate of mine. Her name’s Rebecca. She’s tall with straight, black hair and gray eyes.”

“Yeah—like she’s the only woman around here with straight, black hair and gray eyes,” said Noah.

“After I get some hotel accommodations for you, I’ll tell you what she’ll be wearing, and I’ll try to be as specific as possible,” said Gadd.

“Thank you, Professor,” said Sophie.

“You’re welcome,” said Gadd.

Nathan, Noah, Elegant, Melanie and Sophie jumped as Luigi abruptly doubled over, screaming out in pain.

“Criminy! Sorry, youngster!” apologized Gadd.

They heard Luigi whispering rapidly under his breath. And slowly, he straightened.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest awhile?” asked Gadd.

Luigi shook his head.

“These look pretty bad,” said Gadd.

“They won’t stop me,” vowed Luigi.

“There’s something you need to know,” said Gadd. “This hotel is swarming with Boos. Gooigi here can alert you of a Boo’s presence when his body starts jiggling. The Goo composing him reacts to Boo energy by vibrating.”

“I appreciate the heads-up,” said Luigi, “but my friends, Nate, Mel, Soph and Noah are depending on me, and I won’t stop fighting until they’re safe.”

“Can you walk?” asked Gadd.

“Yes, I can,” said Luigi.

“I realize that I can’t stop you from trying to rescue everyone,” said Gadd, “but keep in mind that you can’t rescue people when you’re dead.”

“Then at least I would’ve died trying,” said Luigi, “and that’s fine with me.”

Gadd drew a long breath. “Good luck, youngster,” he said.

Luigi nodded, turned on his heel and exited the lab, Polterpup at his heels. Gooigi followed shortly thereafter.

Nathan minimized all of his browser windows before grabbing a medium-sized suitcase and packing clothes, toiletries, nonperishable food, water, powdered drink mixes, several flashlights and extra batteries into it. He also put together a first-aid kit, which he also placed into his suitcase. When he was finished, he sat back at his laptop and poured himself another glass of wine.

_I need to hang up on the video call for a few moments_ , Luigi typed into the chat. _I don’t want the Boos tracing it._

 _Understood_ , typed Nathan.

He maximized his browser windows as Luigi’s video feed disappeared.

“Well,” Nathan said to his friends, “it looks like we won’t have any visual contact with Luigi until some of the Boos are dealt with.”

“He’s still connected with me via the Virtual Boo,” said Gadd. “Should something happen to him, I’ll let you know.”

Nathan nodded. “My suitcase is packed and ready to go,” he said.

“I’m packed up, too,” said Elegant.

“So am I,” said Noah.

“And so are we,” said Sophie as she and Melanie zipped up a suitcase of their own.

“I’m almost finished booking your accommodations,” said Gadd. “And there—we—are. Okay. You’ll all be staying at the Grand Hyatt for a few nights.”

“Perfect,” said Nathan. “I think we should all head to the diner Elegant was talking about and wait for the Professor’s associate.”

“I’ve just passed word to her,” said Gadd. “She’ll be driving a light blue eight-passenger minivan with a bumper sticker of the Gadd Science, Inc. logo on it. As I mentioned before, she’ll have long dark hair and gray eyes. She’s dressed in a forest-green, floral print wrap dress, and a pink bracelet will be on her right wrist. She’ll walk straight up to your table, so you’ll know that she’s the person you’re looking for.”

“All right—that’s specific, and that’s helpful,” said Noah.

“I haven’t heard back from my friend in Princess Daisy’s castle,” said Nathan. “I’ll check on him once I’m at the rendezvous point.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Gadd spoke up. “You had a few glasses of wine! You can’t drive!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll call a Lyft,” said Nathan.

“We’re all calling a Lyft,” said Elegant, “because we’re gonna have a few strong ones before this night is over.”

“I’m with you there, bud,” said Noah.

Just as Nathan opened the Lyft app on his phone, an incoming video call notification made him jump.

“It’s Luigi!” he cried. “He must’ve defeated the Boos!”

He clicked “Accept”, and Luigi’s video feed reappeared, showing the man in green seated against the wall of a warmly-lit room, covered in bloody gashes and bite marks, Polterpup in his lap. Gooigi was at his side, rubbing his back comfortingly.

“Where are you now?” asked Nathan.

“Fourth floor,” replied Luigi. “It’s some sort of music hall.”

It was then that Nathan and the others could hear faint piano music coming from Luigi’s feed.

“I’m sensing something,” said Luigi. “I think—I think one of my friends is on this floor. Are you about to head to your rendezvous point?”

“Yes,” said Nathan, “and Gadd just arranged for us to stay at the Grand Hyatt for a bit.”

“Okay,” said Luigi. “Try to keep a low profile while staying at the hotel.”

“Of course,” said Noah.

“We’ll be fine, Luigi,” said Nathan. “Now, go and save your friend.”

Luigi rose to his feet and started walking as Nathan received a message from his friend.

_Sry for the long wait. It took a lot of convincing to get Princess Daisy to stay in her castle._

 _But she has people coming to the Last Resort, right?_ Nathan wanted to know.

_Right._

_How long will it take for them to get there?_

_By the looks of things—30 minutes or so. I know Luigi can hold out for that long—even longer._

_He’s determined, all right. Thx for the update._

_Np._

“Help is coming, you guys,” said Nathan.

“Thank God,” exhaled Sophie.

“I take it your friend told Daisy about what’s happening?” asked Luigi.

“He did. Rescue workers will be at the Last Resort in about 30 minutes,” said Nathan.

“That’s the best they can do?”

“Daisy’s probably not happy about that, either,” sighed Nathan, “but yes. Rest assured, they’re moving as fast as they can.”

Luigi gasped.

“What?” asked Elegant.

“I knew one of my friends was on this floor!” exclaimed Luigi. “I’m inside the auditorium now, and I just saw him hanging on the wall. A pianist ghost is guarding him, which is where the music was coming from.”

“Who is it?” asked Melanie.

“It’s one of Peach’s Toad retainers,” Luigi told her. “His name’s Flynn, and he has red spots on his mushroom cap. I gotta…”

“We understand,” said Noah. “Good luck to you.”

“Let’s play a few more rounds,” said Nathan, switching back to Skype.

“Okay,” said Elegant. “Who hasn’t had a turn?”

“I haven’t,” said Melanie, selecting a card. “Here’s a good one. What’s the next Happy Meal toy?”

Elegant clucked his tongue. “A kraken,” he said.

“A Vienna sausage,” said Nathan.

“A banana in the tailpipe,” offered Sophie.

“A YouTube poop,” said Noah.

“A prophylactic,” said Gadd.

“Professor, you dirty old man!” Melanie howled with laughter. “Okay, I’ll go with yours.”

Nathan heard Luigi talking to someone in an apprehensive tone.

“My turn,” said Noah. “The class field trip was completely ruined by blank.”

“The class field trip was completely ruined by kryptonite,” said Sophie.

“The class field trip was completely ruined by chicken nuggets,” said Elegant.

“The class field trip was completely ruined by my gigantic c—k,” said Melanie.

“The class field trip was completely ruined by tax fraud,” said Nathan.

“The class field trip was completely ruined by an apocalyptic nuclear meltdown,” said Gadd.

“I’m gonna go with Nathan,” said Noah.

Piano music jolted them out of their game, causing them to switch back to Messenger.

They saw Luigi seated at a grand piano, eyes closed, his fingers dancing expertly over the keys. Near him was an elegantly-dressed, purple-hued ghost with immaculate silver hair, eyes also closed, smiling and swaying.

“His best friend is being held captive, and he decides to play piano?” Noah asked, puzzled.

“Relax, man,” said Nathan. “Maybe he’s trying to gain that ghost’s trust.”

“I didn’t know Luigi could play,” mused Sophie.

Not only could Luigi play the piano, but also he was getting into the performance, his facial muscles tensing and his brows furrowing as he pounded out a stormy melody. Tears welled up in his closed eyelids and left thin trails down his cheeks. The ghostly pianist placed a hand on Luigi’s shoulder and encouraged him in quiet tones.

“Uh—I trust him,” said Noah. “Let’s get back to our game.”

Nathan returned to Skype and picked a card. “Here is the church, here is the steeple. Open the doors, and there is blank.”

“Gooigi,” offered Gadd.

“Wilson, the basketball,” said Sophie.

“A giant donut,” said Elegant.

“The lamb sauce,” said Melanie.

“The solution to world hunger,” said Noah.

“Melanie. I pick Melanie’s,” chuckled Nathan.

He disabled his camera and mic. “I don’t know about you guys, but I really think we should head to that diner,” he said. “We can finish our game there while waiting for Gadd’s associate.”

“My Lyft driver is stuck in traffic,” said Elegant.

“So is ours,” said Melanie.

“My associate’s running late, too,” said Gadd.

“It’s Halloween night,” said Noah. “People want to go out to eat, and plus there’s trick-or-treaters…”

Commotion on the Messenger chat made them jump, and Nathan checked in just in time to see a sentient—or possessed—grand piano attacking Luigi!

“What the Hell?” he uttered. “First, he was playing the piano, and now the piano’s attacking him?!”

The camera spun wildly as the piano smashed down.

“I can’t watch this,” said Nathan, clicking back to the Skype chat.

More stomping sounds rang out, followed by beeping, explosions, labored breathing, grunting, a voice shouting in German, and the Poltergust whirring. And then, there was the satisfying sound of an ectobody hitting the floor over and over and over.

The sounds went on until Nathan muted the Messenger chat. “Can we just—just chat for a while?” he asked.

“Yeah, why not?” asked Noah.

“I’m gonna go open a huge bag of candy,” said Melanie. “Then, it’ll _really_ feel like Halloween!”

She smiled at Sophie before getting up and walking toward the kitchen. The other users could hear the sound of a bag opening, followed by candies tumbling into a bowl.

_Get the Professor off his phone_ , typed King Boo.

“Hey, Prof? You still with us?” asked Nathan.

“Sorry, guys,” said Gadd as he put his phone away.

_And where’s Melanie?_ King Boo wanted to know.

_Satisfying her sweet tooth,_ Nathan typed back.

_Get her back here. Now_ , ordered King Boo.

_C’mon, man. She needs her candy_ , typed Nathan.

_No more calls_ , warned King Boo.

Melanie returned, carrying a huge bowl of chocolate candy. “Wanna share this with me, Soph?” she asked.

“Why, Mel—I thought you’d never ask,” answered Sophie.

The two women sat together, unwrapping and feeding each other various candies.

“You two need to get a room,” Elegant said playfully.

Nathan sneaked a peek at the Messenger chat, seeing the grand piano on the floor, utterly destroyed. Then, the pianist ghost floated into the shot, his silver hair disheveled, throwing fiery musical notes and stretching his arms across the room. Taking a chance, Nathan unmuted the conversation, listening to the ghost’s angry ramblings, paired with Luigi’s heavy breathing and—whispering? To whom was he whispering? Gooigi? Himself?

And then Nathan gazed beyond the ghostly pianist and saw the portrait of the Toad. The sight was all it took for him to understand.

“I’m calling that Lyft now,” he said, grabbing his phone and doing just that.

“Perhaps—one more round of Smash before we head over?” Elegant volunteered.

“We’d like that,” said Noah.

“Okay…” they heard Luigi exhale. “Okay.”

“Did you get him?” asked Nathan.

Luigi didn’t answer right away, his camera feed moving closer to the imprisoned Toad.

“Luigi, is that pianist…?”

“In the Poltergust? Yes,” Luigi breathily responded. “Just—gimme a minute, will you?”

“Okay,” said Nathan.

He watched as a familiar multicolored beam shone onto the portrait, drawing the Toad out. The Toad’s little arms flailed as he sailed out of the portrait and landed in Luigi’s arms.

Nathan, Melanie, Sophie, Noah, Elegant and Gadd applauded.

“He did it!” cheered Sophie.

Luigi hugged the Toad, and the sextet heard him softly speaking to the ex-prisoner.

The camera shifted, and now the Toad was seated on Luigi’s lap, his head reclining against his rescuer’s chest, which was visibly pulsing up and down. That was when Nathan and the others saw that the Toad was now holding Luigi’s cell phone.

“Hello?” greeted the Toad.

“Hello,” Elegant shrilly greeted.

“Are you imitating me?” asked the Toad, cocking his head.

“I dressed as you for Halloween once, so—yeah,” Elegant responded in his normal voice.

The Toad blinked. “Who am I speaking with?” he asked.

Nathan took charge. “My name’s Nathan,” he said gently, “and these are my friends, Melanie, Sophie, Noah and Elegant. We main Luigi in the Smash tournament.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” cried the Toad. “Hey, that’s the Professor! _There’s_ a familiar face!”

“Hi!” said Gadd.

“For the four of you who don’t know me, my name’s Flynn, and I’m one of Peach’s retainers,” said the Toad.

“Nice to meet you, Flynn,” said Nathan. “Are you hurt?”

“Not that badly,” Flynn replied. “Just some bruises. Luigi, however…”

“Let me talk to him,” Gadd said urgently.

“Luigi? The Professor wants you,” said Flynn, handing the phone back to Luigi.

The sextet cursed loudly at the sight of the man in green. He was sweaty, shaken and quite the worst for wear.

“Don’t argue with me, youngster,” Gadd said firmly. “I want you and Flynn to head straight to the Lab. It’s the only place where the latter will be safe.”

“I’m on my way,” said Luigi.

“Dude, that ghost tried to smash a f—ing piano on you!” cried Elegant.

“He also shot piano keys at me,” Luigi told everyone. “It was a knock-down, drag-out fight, and I won.”

“He let you play his piano, and then he attacked you?” asked Noah.

“His name was Amadeus Wolfgeist,” said Luigi. “I tried to convince him to let me take Flynn and walk away. He asked me if I played, and I said yes, and so he let me play the piano for a bit. He told me that he couldn’t let Flynn go because ‘a mutual friend’ had given the portrait to him as a gift, along with an elevator button, and if this friend found out that he just gave up both…” He paused. “I think he was coerced into this. I think some of the other ghosts were coerced into this, too. Or manipulated. I don’t know. Anyway, after I finished playing, he sat back down on the bench and launched into a forceful tune. First, he sent the auditorium chairs after me. Then, he had ballerina ghosts attack me. And finally, he jumped into the piano and used that to fight me. I was able to defeat him with the bombs he sometimes launched at me, shooting them at the piano, and then using my Suction Shot to heave the d—n thing to the floor, which would force him out. It went on for what seemed like forever, but things got easier once I destroyed that mad piano. He even took a little bow before I captured him. Professor—I’ll be down there soon, okay? I—we—Flynn and I need a moment.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” said Gadd.

Flynn and Luigi sat together, the latter giving the former one half of his earbuds. Flynn smiled, closed his eyes and snuggled deeper against his rescuer, who also began visibly calming down. His breathing was quieter, and his chest stopped heaving. However, there was still that tension about him.

“One down, four to go,” Nathan mused after a while.

Finally, both Luigi and Flynn stirred.

“Ready to go?” asked Luigi.

“Ready,” chirped Flynn.

Luigi stood up and helped Flynn to his feet. “We’ll see you soon, Professor,” he said.

“All right,” said Gadd. “I’ll have plenty of snacks and first aid ready.”

“Hey, L,” said Elegant. “We’ll be heading to our rendezvous area shortly. We’re just waiting for our Lyft drivers.”

“Okeydokey,” said Luigi. “Bring your luggage with you, and try not to be too conspicuous.”

“It’s a popular place,” said Elegant. “That shouldn’t be _too_ difficult.”

Nathan’s eyes widened as King Boo typed into the Skype chat, _Nice try, guys. Let me turn those mics back on for you. 3:D_

“Make sure you have some cash on hand, too,” Luigi was saying. “King Boo’s likely to use your credit card activity to track you down.”

“Guys—guys!” Nathan said urgently. “King Boo switched the mics for our Skype chat back on. He can hear us!”

A new Skype video feed popped up, showing the music hall Luigi was currently in. Specifically, the double doors to the auditorium where he’d faced off against Wolfgeist. In the foreground of the feed was some sort of popcorn or caramel corn stand, and there was a restroom on either side.

Luigi and Flynn, joined by Polterpup and Gooigi, emerged from the auditorium, headed for the elevator.

“Wait, guys!” called Nathan.

The four stopped. Hoisting Flynn onto his hip, Luigi walked fairly fast toward the camera.

“This again?” he asked, exasperated.

“He’s toying with you,” cautioned Gadd. “Don’t take the bait.”

“Of course,” said Luigi.

He noticed the popcorn (or caramel corn) stand, and Nathan and the others saw him flash his Strobulb at it, causing a fresh batch of the snack to fill the machine. Then, they saw him grab the scooper, fill a bag and give it to Flynn, who happily accepted the unexpected treat.

_That’s right_ , typed King Boo. _Just grab some popcorn and enjoy._

“Enjoy what?” asked Nathan.

_You’ll see._

“I’m not playing this game,” said Luigi. “C’mon, Flynn.”

But they’d hardly taken three steps when the pink barriers slammed down, boxing them in.

_Oh, yes you are. 3:D_

Yet another video feed came to life, displaying Elegant’s YouTube channel.

“Oh, poke around all you want, you a—hole!” roared Elegant. “I have a VPN! You’ll never find me!”

“For God’s sake, Elegant!” Luigi exclaimed. “Flipping out won’t help anything!”

King Boo’s feed began fast-forwarding through all of Elegant’s videos before stopping at an interview.

“I am so sick and tired of my man in green being so underappreciated,” Elegant was telling the interviewer.

The video then rewound and replayed the phrase “sick and tired” a few times.

“Wha—what are you doing?” asked Elegant.

King Boo’s feed then switched to another video where Elegant was visiting the Mushroom Kingdom.

“There’s something about these talking toadstools which fills my heart with joy,” he was saying, but then the video rewound and replayed the phrase “these talking toadstools” several times.

In a third video, Elegant was talking about a festival. “I’m gonna pack up my stuff, head on over to Mushroom Park and have some fun.” Then, the phrase “head on over to Mushroom Park and have some fun” was repeated.

Noah bowed his head and muttered a prayer, while Luigi did his best to keep Flynn distracted.

The Boo then switched to a fourth video, where Elegant was solemnly discoursing over a shocking act of violence at a Smash tournament.

“I hope it doesn’t get to the point that we have to be checked for any weapons and firearms before entering the venue.”

After the phrase “weapons and firearms” was replayed thrice, King Boo’s feed then cut to a keypad, where someone dialed 9-1-1 and pressed “Call”.

Nathan had broken out in a cold sweat at this point. He was beginning to put two and two together.

“Please state the nature of your emergency,” said the 9-1-1 operator.

Clips from Elegant’s videos were spliced together so that he appeared to be saying, “I am sick and tired of these talking toadstools.”

“Sir, is this a real emergency?” asked the operator as Elegant’s eyes widened.

“I’m gonna pack up my weapons and firearms, head on over to Mushroom Park and have some fun.”

“Sir, can you tell me your name?”

The Boo played a clip from another of Elegant’s interviews. “My friends call me Elegant.”

And then the feed disappeared.

Elegant was gasping. “Wh—wha…?”

“They—they made that call ten minutes ago,” said Gadd. “You need to…”

Elegant jumped out of his seat at the pounding on his door.

“Police!” barked the voice of a Toad police officer. “We have a search warrant!”

“No—I…” spluttered Elegant. “Wait…!”

“Elegant, don’t make any sudden moves,” said Nathan. “They think you’re a dangerous psycho who wants to mow down innocent Toads.”

“But that’s not true!” Elegant’s voice had risen in pitch.

“It’ll be hard to convince them!” said Noah.

“Just—get on the ground, Elegant!” said Luigi, having directed Flynn to get behind him. “Get on the ground now!”

“Get on the d—n ground!” Gadd shouted.

Sophie, Melanie and Noah joined in, yelling at Elegant to get on the ground and lie still.

“Open the door!” ordered the Toad.

“I can’t!” cried Elegant. “I’m on the ground!”

“Open the door, or we’ll break it down!”

“Okay! I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Slowly, Elegant crept toward the door. 

While this was happening, King Boo’s feed came back on, showing the Smash player’s desktop. The volume on his speakers was turned up to its highest setting, and then a sound effect clip was downloaded.

“What’s that?” Luigi asked wildly. “What is he doing? What is he downloading?!”

The feed then zoomed in on a cursor flipping the bird as it hovered over the play button. It was then that Nathan saw that the sound effect clip was of a gun’s safety being removed.

“Elegant, stay down!” he exclaimed.

“Oh, my God,” Sophie uttered in horror as she and Melanie huddled in each other’s arms.

“Open the door!” they heard the Toad police officer yell.

“I’m coming!” Elegant yelled back, near tears.

Nathan, Noah, Melanie, Sophie, Luigi and Gadd all began shouting desperately at Elegant as he continued toward his front door. All the while, the middle-finger cursor was circling the play button. Elegant, in full-blown panic mode, paid no heed to his pals, nor was he aware of what was going on with his computer. He was practically sobbing as he pleaded his innocence to the Toad police officers outside.

“Please, don’t hurt me! I’m unarmed! I’m unarmed!” he screamed.

“What’s going on?!” Flynn demanded, hugging Luigi around the waist.

“Close your eyes, Flynn!” Luigi commanded. “Close your eyes, and don’t look!”

Gooigi ran over, throwing his arms around both Luigi and Flynn.

Elegant was now reaching for the doorknob. The cursor’s circles around the play button grew smaller and smaller.

“Elegant! Don’t do it! Stay on the ground!” shouted Nathan.

“No! Elegant!” cried Sophie.

“Oh, God—help us!” exclaimed Melanie.

“No! No! No!” Noah practically bellowed.

“ _Elegant_!!” Luigi fiercely shouted.

When Elegant’s hand touched the doorknob, the sound effect played, sealing the young man’s fate.

“Wahh! He’s got a gun!” The Toad police officers opened fire, the hail of bullets sending Elegant slamming backwards as his blood splashed against the camera lens. A horrible gurgling sound escaped him as he slowly slumped to the ground, leaving behind a wide smear of the crimson egret.

Sophie let out a scream. Melanie had a hand pressed to her mouth. Luigi and Gooigi had protectively thrown themselves over Flynn when the gunshots rang out. Nathan and Noah sat there in shock. Gadd raked a hand through his tuft of hair.

As the police entered Elegant’s residence, his feed disconnected from the chat.

_Elegant—game over. 3:D_


	8. Melanie and Sophie's Big Plunge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: Blood, gore, nudity, character deaths and the death of a child.

**October 31, 2019**

**10:10 p.m.**

Nobody dared to move or speak at first. They just studied each other through their video feeds, endeavoring to draw comfort from each other’s presence. Complete silence had filled the online hangout, broken only by the sound of their breaths.

Sophie was the first to speak. “Nathan—Noah—Professor…” she uttered. “Oh, Melanie—I want to be brave…”

“You’re the bravest woman I know, Sophie,” said Melanie.

“I don’t know what’ll happen tonight,” confessed Sophie. “That’s my biggest fear.”

“Hey,” said Melanie. “We’ll get through it together, okay?”

Sophie nodded, and the two women shared a kiss.

“Luigi…” said Sophie when the kiss ended.

“I’m here, _cara bella_ —I’m here,” Luigi said softly, holding Flynn in his arms.

“Wh—what happened to Elegant?” Flynn piped up.

“I—I don’t know,” Luigi replied, but Flynn wasn’t stupid.

“King Boo got him, didn’t he?” asked Flynn. “Elegant—he’s dead, isn’t he?”

Luigi heaved a sigh. “Yes. Yes he is,” he replied. “Look—if you need to talk to someone about what just happened, then I’m right here, okay?”

“Okay,” said Flynn.

Nathan downed his glass of wine before quickly pouring himself another.

“He’s gonna come for all of us, no matter what we do,” he realized. “He’s gonna pick us all off one by one.” He turned to Luigi’s feed, “and he’s gonna make you watch!”

“Hey! Don’t say that!” Luigi objected. “I won’t let that happen, understand?”

Nathan opened his mouth to respond, only to be startled by the doorbell ringing from Melanie and Sophie’s feed.

“Guys…” whispered Sophie.

“ _Ragazze_ ,” Luigi spoke in a low voice. “Get upstairs, _ragazze_.”

“Don’t answer the door,” Nathan joined in. “Just—just get out of there.”

Melanie and Sophie exchanged a look. Their doorbell rang again.

“Get the Hell upstairs, you two!” Noah shouted desperately.

“Please, just get upstairs!” Luigi exclaimed.

“Quickly now, youngsters!” interjected Gadd.

Melanie rose, walked toward the front door and gazed through the peephole. “Oh—hi there,” she said in audible relief.

“Is it someone you know?” asked Gadd.

“Trick-or-treaters,” explained Melanie as she grabbed the bowl of candy.

Sophie joined Melanie at the front door to greet the trick-or-treaters.

“Trick-or-treat!” everyone else heard a couple of young voices pipe up.

They listened as Melanie and Sophie briefly conversed with the trick-or-treaters and sent them on their way with a small handful of candy each.

“False alarm, guys,” said Sophie, plopping back onto the couch, soon joined by Melanie.

Luigi let out a long exhale and then turned to Flynn. “I gotta get you to the Lab,” he said, a note of urgency rising in his voice. “C’mon.”

“Uh-oh,” Gooigi piped up, causing Luigi to hesitate.

The gooey humanoid was jiggling like Jell-O.

“Oh, no,” breathed Nathan. “Boos.”

“Stay alert, my boy!” Gadd chimed in.

The popcorn stand in Luigi’s feed shuddered. Instantly, the man in green whirled toward it.

“Flynn,” he said. “Get behind me.”

Flynn obliged, and Nathan saw Gooigi also shielding the Toad with his still-vibrating body.

And then a swarm of Boos seemed to explode out of the popcorn stand and attacked!

Nathan, Melanie, Sophie and Gadd began shouting to Luigi as he faced off against the Boos in an effort to defend Flynn. They watched the Boos crash-tackle him, leaving fresh gashes on his body. They saw some Boos clobbering Luigi with their tongues, and they saw several more biting him. But then, the tide of the battle turned when Luigi used Burst to knock his attackers away. Without hesitation, he shone his Dark-Light-Device on the first Boo he saw, suctioned their tongue into the vacuum and repeatedly slammed them onto the floor and into other Boos.

“You go, L!” cheered Sophie. “You show them who’s boss!”

But soon, white began completely overtaking Luigi’s feed as more Boos arrived on the scene. They could barely see Luigi now, and they could barely glimpse Gooigi pitching in. There was barking and growling as Polterpup did what he could to ward off the Boos, and they also heard Flynn, trying not to panic.

“This is _not_ good!” cried Melanie.

“Yeah, you think?” huffed Noah.

Melanie exchanged a nod with Sophie.

“Luigi, it’s okay!” shouted Melanie. “We’re gonna get you help!”

Melanie and Sophie’s video feed reverted to a screensaver.

Nathan checked the status of his Lyft driver. “Still running late,” he grumbled.

“So is mine,” said Noah. “What’s keeping them?”

“And what’s keeping my associate?” asked Gadd. “I don’t know about you two, but I suspect foul play.”

A cold feeling arose in Nathan’s gut.

Flynn screamed.

Luigi’s feed was once again visible, showing Flynn struggling against the grip of two Boos.

“You leave him alone!” Nathan heard Luigi exclaim, the Poltergust still leveled in steady hands despite his wounds.

“Don’t worry about me, Luigi!” cried Flynn. “Just…” He suddenly screamed in pain, causing Nathan’s blood to boil.

“Use Burst!” Gadd suggested.

Luigi did just that, but the Boos easily dodged the burst of air.

“You want him?” one of the Boos taunted. “Come get him.”

And they carried the still-struggling Toad off, toward one of the bathrooms.

Luigi gave chase, only for a small army of ghosts to block him.

“Keep him busy,” smirked the other Boo, and then the pair phased through one of the bathroom doors, dragging their captive with them.

The sounds of battle once again filled Luigi’s feed as he stunned and slammed attacking ghosts left and right. These ghosts were armed with musical instruments, such as clarinets, flutes, trumpets and violins—even violin bows, and they used them defensively, to block Strobulb flashes, as well as offensively. Nathan, Noah and Gadd were on the edge of their seats as they watched Luigi fight his way through this ghostly orchestra to try and save Flynn.

_Nice try, ladies_ , King Boo typed into the chat. _I’ll go ahead and turn your camera back on for you. 3:D_

Melanie and Sophie’s feed came back on, showing the latter on the phone with someone.

“Mel! Soph! Hang up!” shouted Nathan.

“He turned your camera back on!” Gadd exclaimed. “He can see you!”

The two women jerked their heads up.

“It’s okay!” Sophie told them. “We have a good friend on the force, and she’s gonna try and get some backup out to the Last Resort!”

“I have the address,” said Nathan. “I’ll tell you, and then you’ll tell her.”

He passed the address to Melanie and Sophie, who in turn passed it to their friend.

“Tell her to hurry,” said Nathan. “The Boos—they’ve taken Flynn, and they’ve dispatched a ghostly orchestra of sorts to deal with Luigi. It’s not looking good.”

Sophie finished the call and hung up. “Tell Luigi to hang in there,” she said. “More help is on the way.”

“All right. Did you hear that, Luigi? Sophie and Melanie contacted a friend on the force, and she just sent backup to your location.”

“I’m a little busy at the moment, Nathan,” said Luigi, still embroiled in a heated throwdown with the ghosts. “What’s going on?”

“It’s going to be okay, Luigi,” Sophie spoke up. “You and Flynn are going to be okay. We have a friend on the force, and she knows what to do.”

“You called…?”

“Well, technically, no. We called a friend who just so happens to be—well, you know.”

“I really hope she comes through for us,” said Luigi.

A ghost lunged for him, and he dove back into the fray without another word.

_I made it very clear,_ typed King Boo. _No more calls._

“Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?” challenged Melanie.

_It would be a poor choice to force my hand into action._

“You’re too late,” spat Sophie. “Our friend is mobilizing some people as we speak. They’re the best of the best—of the best. You, your minions and your accomplice won’t stand a chance.”

_Oh, we’ll see._

Nathan watched Luigi force his way toward the bathroom where the Boos were holding Flynn, only for a ghost to grab him and haul him back.

_Oh, no you don’t. You’re not playing the hero for anyone tonight._

Luigi escaped from the ghost with Burst and wasted no time capturing them, along with a few other ghosts. Again, he tried fighting his way toward Flynn, but the ghosts continued impeding him.

Sophie shook her head. “King Boo’s gone insane,” she said. “He’s gunning not only for Luigi, but also his friends, his brother, his unofficial sister-in-law, his mentor—and anyone even minutely associated with him.”

_Smart girl_ , typed King Boo, _but let’s not dwell on such things, shall we? The lightning round is about to begin._

“No,” said Sophie. “No, [bleep] this. I’m not playing your f—ing games anymore.”

_You have no choice in the matter, remember?_

Sophie and Melanie jumped as the lights in their room flickered off.

_You guys think you’re so slick, don’t you? Did you actually think I wasn’t aware that you were communicating with Luigi using Messenger? Hellen and I knew that you’d attempt to sidestep my rules. Unfortunately for you, we came prepared._

“No! B.S.!” snapped Nathan. “You’re not hurting any more of my friends!”

_Then stop me, O Prince._

Melanie and Sophie’s feed began to freeze and blink on and off.

“Oh, my God. Mel? Soph?” cried Nathan. “Just run! Run as fast as you can!”

As their feed continued blinking, Nathan, Noah and Gadd could see Melanie and Sophie fighting against an unseen intruder.

“Ladies—clear out of there fast!” Gadd exclaimed.

The feed blinked back on long enough for the three of them to hear the two women scream before it glitched out—this time for good.

Nathan swore, pounding on the desk. “D—n you,” he growled. “Why can’t you just leave us alone?!”

_Because you associated with my enemies,_ typed King Boo, _and that’s a serious offense. 3:D_

“It’s always about you, isn’t it?” huffed Noah. “You are the most selfish person I’ve ever met!”

“I second that sentiment,” grumbled Gadd.

Nathan, Noah and Gadd cried out in surprise as the camera in the music hall was knocked to the floor. And then the feed abruptly cut out.

_Looks like Luigi’s in a bit of a jam. Too bad for you. 3:D_

Ignoring the King, Nathan messaged Luigi. _Melanie and Sophie have been attacked_ , he wrote. _The situation is worsening by the second. You’re our only hope, man!_

Then, Nathan sat back and joined the others in praying for a reprieve.

Their prayer wasn’t answered.

The camera in the music hall was the first to turn back on, showing an ominously quiet, empty hallway. Glowing, pink gates covered every last door and window in sight. Faint screaming came from one of the bathrooms, and Nathan and the others knew that those were Flynn’s screams.

“Luigi?” Nathan spoke softly. “Luigi, are you still there? Are you okay?”

No answer.

“Youngster—can you hear us?” asked Gadd.

And then Luigi practically dragged himself into view, sufficiently bloodied and spattered with fresh bruises.

“Flynn…” he gasped. “I have to save him…” He blinked. “Wh—where are Melanie and Sophie?”

“I think the Boos attacked them,” replied Noah.

Luigi swore under his breath.

“But right now, it’s Flynn who’s in the most danger,” said Gadd. “Luigi, you need to…”

He was cut off when another barrier slammed down behind Luigi.

_Don’t worry, Flynn’s fine_ , typed King Boo. _Why don’t you see for yourself?_

A second video feed popped up, showing Flynn inside the bathroom. The two Boos were holding him down while one of them shoved a plugged-in hair straightener into his mouth! Flynn thrashed and struggled, but his efforts did no good. Smoke poured from his mouth and nose as the hair straightener cooked him from the inside.

Everyone screamed out in horror.

Gradually, Flynn’s struggles ceased, and his body went limp. Blood poured from his eyes, nose and mouth, and various burns scored his form. His lips had been welded onto the hair straightener, and thin whisps of smoke curled upward. The Boos cackled as they studied their handiwork.

“N—no— _no_!” hollered Luigi. “Oh, God! Flynn! No! Oh, my God!”

“Oh, J—s, WTF just happened?!” wailed Nathan. “Flynn?! FLYNN!”

Gadd crossed himself.

Noah sent up a flurry of profanity. “This is so f—ed up!” he exclaimed. “[Bleep] this [bleep], okay? [Bleep] it!”

_Guys, chill. There’s more where that came from._

“I was so close,” Luigi murmured. “So close to getting him to safety, and then…”

He shook his head, as if to clear it. “No,” he said. “No. Moping and feeling sorry for myself won’t help anything. You’re right, Nathan—I’m the only source of light in this darkness, against all odds, without hesitation and at any cost. Flynn’s gone, but I have no time to mourn. I have to keep going. Keep fighting.”

The barriers had disappeared, allowing Luigi to walk back to the elevator.

“You still need to regroup,” said Gadd, “so stop by the Lab before continuing on.”

“Very well,” said Luigi. “Nate—you and Noah need to get to your designated meeting spot with all haste. If you have to cancel your Lyft, by all means, do so. Take the bus, or better yet—take the subway, if you have a subway.”

Gadd, Noah and Nathan saw Luigi get into the elevator, press a button and lean against the wall, sliding down into a seated position. Then, Polterpup scurried over, and Luigi took his puppy in his arms and buried his face into his “fur”.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Again, Gooigi sat next to Luigi, rubbing the small of his back.

The elevator stopped, and Nathan and the others watched as Luigi got to his feet and headed for the Lab.

Gadd turned as the Lab’s door opened and Luigi walked inside.

And then the younger man broke.

Nathan and Noah respectfully bowed their heads as Luigi wept, the former sneaking a glance up and seeing the man in green in his mentor’s arms, his shoulders shaking. Then, he saw Gooigi carefully join in the comforting embrace, hugging Luigi from behind, while Polterpup trotted over and nuzzled against his leg. However, Luigi only allowed himself a short cry. Tears wouldn’t get him out of this mess, and it certainly wouldn’t help his remaining friends.

“Will you be all right?” asked Gadd.

“Yeah,” Luigi responded as he composed himself. “Thank you.”

Nathan heard Luigi attach the Poltergust to something, followed by a hissing sound and then the sound of pressure being released. He guessed that Gadd had a vault for Luigi to empty the Poltergust into.

Next, Gadd sat Luigi down, cleaning, disinfecting and bandaging his mentee’s wounds. Nathan took the opportunity to check in on his friend in Daisy’s castle and update him on the situation.

Noah cursed.

“What is it?” asked Nathan.

“My Lyft’s been canceled,” huffed Noah.

“Do you have a light rail?” asked Luigi.

“The closest station is a five-minute walk from my place, but yeah,” Noah responded.

_I don’t think so, Noah_ , typed King Boo. _You stay right where you are._

“You can’t tell me what to do,” sneered Noah.

_You’re not going anywhere unless I allow you to_.

Noah narrowed his eyes. “Watch me,” he said.

He stood up and grabbed his laptop, only for those gated barriers to slam down over his front door, window and hallway.

_You were saying?_

“[Bleep] me,” breathed Noah. “Now what?”

“I’ll tell you what we’re _not_ gonna do,” said Luigi. “We’re not gonna panic. Panicking will only make a bigger mess.”

“Well spoke,” said Gadd, offering Luigi a plate of food.

“I’m not hungry, thank you,” Luigi replied.

“You _have_ to eat something before going back out there,” Gadd objected.

Luigi pressed his lips together, but he nonetheless accepted the plate of food and started to eat.

“Would you like to join us in a couple of rounds while you eat?” asked Nathan.

“Sure,” Luigi quietly replied.

“I guess I’ll go,” said Gadd as he selected a card. “When Jack White performed at the Aragorn Ballroom in Chicago on November 19, 2018, he surprised his fans with blank.”

“Yoshi,” said Luigi.

“Free ice-cream sandwiches for everyone,” said Nathan.

“His gigantic c—k,” said Noah.

“And then he would’ve been arrested for indecent exposure,” said Gadd. “I’ll go with Noah.”

“My turn,” said Noah. “Honey, Mommy and Daddy love you very much. But apparently Mommy loves blank more than Daddy.”

“Nude beaches,” said Nathan.

“Vibrators,” said Gadd.

“Gooigi,” said Luigi.

“Okay—Luigi wins,” said Noah.

“Let me try,” said Luigi. “Today on _MythBusters_ , we find out how long blank can withstand blank.”

Gadd pursed his lips. “Today on _MythBusters_ , we find out how long a chalkboard can withstand Silly String.”

“Today on _MythBusters_ ,” said Noah, “we find out how long pancakes can withstand orbiting in space.”

“Today on _MythBusters_ ,” said Nathan, “we find out how long Gooigi can withstand f—ing somebody on top of a giant pizza.”

A gurgling giggle came from Gooigi.

“I’ll go with Nathan,” said Luigi. “Nate—your turn, buddy.”

Nathan chose a card. “I have to take my blank to a blank, so I’ll see you blank.”

“I have to take my therapist to a scientific convention, so I’ll see you Wednesday,” said Gadd.

“I have to take my salamander to an obstetrician, so I’ll see you Tuesday,” said Noah.

“I have to take my gooey doppelganger to a dermatologist, so I’ll see you Sunday,” said Luigi.

“I think I’ll go with Luigi,” said Nathan. “That—that was pretty funny.”

“May I have a turn?” Gooigi piped up.

“Uh—why not?” replied Gadd.

Gooigi selected a card. “My gym teacher got fired for adding blank to the obstacle course,” he said.

“My gym teacher got fired for adding psycho-reactive slime to the obstacle course,” said Noah.

“My gym teacher got fired for adding a taco stand to the obstacle course,” said Noah.

“My gym teacher got fired for adding scientific formulas to the obstacle course,” said Gadd.

“My gym teacher got fired for adding an aphrodisiac to the obstacle course,” said Luigi.

“D—n!” Nathan exclaimed. “I didn’t expect that from you!”

Gooigi laughed. “I like yours, Luigi.”

Luigi blushed.

“And by the way,” said Nathan. “The Professor totally ships you two.”

“What?!” the two ghost-wranglers cried in unison.

“You’re part of each other, so I figured…” The Professor shrugged.

“It sounds kinda weird,” said Luigi, “but whatever.”

He finished off the plate of food Gadd had given him and set it aside. “Thanks for the meal, Professor,” he said.

“I told you that you needed it,” said Gadd. “You look better already.”

Luigi jerked a nod. “While I was unable to protect Flynn, you can be d—n sure I’ll avenge him,” he said.

“After you save the rest,” Nathan put in.

“You’re right,” said Luigi. “Revenge won’t bring Flynn back, and it won’t bring back Elegant, Jacqui or Vicky. And it’s not something I’m keen on possibly dying for.”

_You can’t save them all_ , taunted King Boo.

“It’s worth a try,” Luigi shot back.

King Boo’s video feed then came back online, showing a large, spacious room, similar to a ballroom. And in that ballroom were—

“Melanie! Sophie!” Nathan exclaimed.

The engaged pair had been stripped naked, and they were currently sealed in a portrait together, bruises, burns and lacerations marking their skin and their mouths frozen open in a scream.

_They should’ve listened when I said no more calls_ , typed King Boo. _But fear not. They have some company._

The camera panned out to reveal a second portrait frame beside Sophie and Melanie’s. And trapped in that portrait were none other than—Sophie’s sister, Janelle, and her niece, Emily! While Janelle was nude, Emily was clad in her undergarments, and both were also bruised and cut. At least all four of them had endeavored to resist.

Nathan saw Gadd type away at his keyboard. “I’ve pinpointed their location,” he said. Then, his face paled as he added, “I’m also detecting a strong paranormal presence in the room.”

_Decisions, decisions_ , typed King Boo. _Who should you save first, Luigi? Four complete strangers? Or your big brother and the rest of your vacation party?_

“Regardless of whether or not I know them, they’re innocent people,” Luigi boldly replied, “and I’m not gonna let them die.” He slid his Poltergust back on and tightened the shoulder straps. “Let’s-a go, Gooigi.”

Nathan listened to Luigi’s footsteps as he strode resolutely out of the Lab.

King Boo’s video feed went dark.

And then the entire Skype call disconnected.

As did the Messenger call.

Nathan sighed as his laptop rebooted. Once the reboot was complete, he signed back into his Skype and Messenger accounts and worked to reestablish contact with Noah, Gadd and Luigi.

His Skype call was the first to reconnect.

“What in God’s name was that?” asked Gadd.

“Were you disconnected, too?” asked Nathan.

“We were,” said Noah. “Hopefully, KB was booted, too.”

_You wish_ , typed King Boo. _Here, let me save you the trouble and add Luigi._

Seconds later, Luigi appeared on the Skype chat.

“Nate?” asked Luigi. “I thought we were using Messenger to communicate.”

“That was King Boo,” Nathan explained. “He’s up to something. I can feel it.”

He tried adding Luigi, Noah and Gadd to Messenger, only for it to crash.

“Crud,” he hissed. “He must’ve hijacked Messenger, too.”

“I’m close,” said Luigi. “Judging by the strong signal the Professor picked up, King Boo must have some serious muscle guarding those paintings. But nobody gets left behind.”

“We know you can save them, my boy,” said Gadd.

“After I rescue them, I’m not dawdling around,” said Luigi. “I’m bringing them straight to the Lab. No way in the Inferno am I making the same mistake again.”

Nathan drew a long breath. “Gadd, Noah and I are gonna mute our mics, so you can concentrate on the fight,” he said.

“I’d better mute mine, too,” said Luigi.

Gadd frowned.

“What?” asked Nathan.

“It’s not letting me mute the mic,” said Gadd.

“I’m having the same problem,” said Noah.

Nathan clicked on the mic icon to mute it, but nothing happened. “So am I,” he said.

“And me, too,” said Luigi.

“Okay—then let’s just—try to make as little noise as possible when Luigi confronts—whoever this is,” said Noah.

“Good plan,” said Nathan.

They watched Luigi push through a set of double doors and into a ballroom similar to the one where Melanie, Sophie, Janelle and Emily were being held. Then, King Boo’s video feed popped up, confirming that Luigi was in fact in that very ballroom.

_Enjoy the show. 3:D_ , typed King Boo.

“Get ready, Luigi!” said Gadd.

Luigi nodded, and the other three once again saw denim as he pocketed his phone. On King Boo’s feed, they watched him locate and then cautiously approach the four captives, and then a resounding cackle rang out as something heavy crashed onto the ground, causing him to leap back.

“God in Heaven,” uttered Gadd. “It can’t be…”

“You know who this is?” asked Nathan.

Gadd nodded. “King Boo must’ve freed him from his painting when he first escaped six years ago,” he said, “and he’s kept him hidden—until now.”

“Wait—no,” Noah spoke up. “You can’t possibly be referring to…”

“Yes, Noah, I am,” Gadd said gravely. “It’s—Boolossus.”

The trio watched in suspense as Boolossus stomped after Luigi, trying to smash him to a pulp. He also levitated chairs and tables off the ground and hurled them at his opponent, shot fire, ice, dark magic and electricity at Luigi and spawned daggers to launch at him, among other attacks. But Luigi utilized all of his Poltergust’s features, deflecting projectiles with his Burst and Suction Shot and attempting to repel the daggers with the vacuum’s exhaust. He also managed to launch several ice blocks back at Boolossus, stunning him long enough to be temporarily incapacitated with the Dark Light Device. Next, Luigi suctioned onto the large Boo’s tongue, pulled it taut like a slingshot, aimed and then launched Boolossus into a fireplace poker Gooigi had found, and was currently holding a few feet away. Boolossus popped into a bunch of regular-sized Boos, and Luigi and Gooigi wasted no time slamming as many of them as they could into submission. However, these Boos also attacked individually, either barreling into or biting the two ghost-wranglers. Luckily, Gooigi was blessed with regenerating health.

Nearly two minutes later, the remaining Boos reformed into Boolossus, and the Hellish battle began again.

As Nathan, Noah and Gadd cheered Luigi and Gooigi on, they thought they could hear—screams.

Where were they coming from?

The ballroom?

Was that Melanie and co. screaming?

And if so, how could Nathan and the others hear them?

“Hurry, Luigi!” cried Noah. “It sounds like they’re suffering in there!”

Boolossus introduced new attacks as the fight dragged on. Lunging at Luigi like a battering ram. Rolling on the ground, trying to flatten him. Slamming down tongue and appendages on the floor. Spawning larger knives, and then swords, which hacked and slashed. But Luigi stubbornly fought back as Gooigi found more fireplace pokers for Boolossus to be launched into whenever his companion found an opening. Boolossus grew smaller and smaller as Gooigi and Luigi captured the Boos composing him, but the smaller he grew, the more vicious he became.

The mysterious screams grew louder and louder. Without a doubt, those screams were coming from the imprisoned quartet! And those screams seemed to fuel Luigi’s urgency, for whenever an attack downed him, he just pushed himself back up. Meanwhile, Nathan, Noah and Gadd watched Luigi’s every move, repulsed by the battle’s ferocity yet unable to tear themselves away from the action.

After what seemed like ages, Luigi and Gooigi wrestled the last of the Boos making up Boolossus into their vacuums, leaving a couple of elevator buttons in the behemoth’s wake.

Nathan heaved a sigh of relief, running a hand through his hair. Noah whooped. And Gadd laughed heartily.

“Truly remarkable, youngster!” exclaimed Gadd. “Now, all that’s left to do is to free Sophie and her family, and bring them down here.”

Beaten and bloodied but by no means broken, Luigi limped over to the two portraits and shone the Dark-Light on them. Melanie, Sophie, Janelle and Emily floated out of their prisons and stumbled to the ground, shivering with cold. Quickly, Luigi grabbed some coats hanging around the ballroom and draped them over the quartet’s shoulders.

Sophie and Melanie were awash in tears as they thanked Luigi, and Janelle hugged Emily close, the girl wearing a traumatized expression on her face. Luigi knelt down so that he was eye-level with Emily, speaking to her in a low, comforting tone. Emily eyed him warily and looked to her mom for guidance, who nodded. Nathan’s heart melted as he watched Emily open up to Luigi, the man in green managing to make her smile and laugh.

Finally, Luigi opened his arms, gathering the quartet into a group hug.

“Mel! Soph!” Noah finally piped up. “Can you hear us?”

“Noah!” cried Sophie. “Is that you? Are you okay? Is Nathan okay? The Professor…?”

“Yes—are you okay?”

“No,” replied Sophie. “Mel and I are pretty far from okay. But—we’ll get by.”

“Janelle? Emily?” questioned Nathan.

“Yes?” asked Janelle.

“Do you remember me? I’m Nathan—your sister’s friend.”

“Of course I remember you,” said Janelle. “Hi.”

“Are you and Emily all right?”

“I really can’t say,” replied Janelle. “Luigi—he’s gonna take us somewhere safe. We’ll talk some more then, okay?”

“Okay,” said Nathan.

Luigi walked straight up to the video feed and stared hard at it for a few seconds before disconnecting it from the Skype call. His feed once again became visible as he fished his phone out of his pocket and waved.

“I really can’t talk right now,” he said, “but I just wanna let you know that we’re en route to the lab. Melanie and Sophie are safe, and so are Emily and Janelle.”

“I’ll see if I can find some clothes for them,” said Gadd.

“Thanks. See you soon,” said Luigi.

Gadd rummaged around, preparing snacks for the returnees and searching his closet for some proper clothing.

Nathan took the time to heat up a mini pizza and carry it back to his laptop.

“I’m surprised that you still have an appetite,” mused Noah.

“What can I say? All of this is taking a lot out of me,” Nathan crisply replied, taking a bite out of his mini pizza.

“Well—seeing that I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” said Noah, “I guess I’ll fix myself a salad.”

Before Nathan could reply, the laptop froze—and then the screen went dark.

“C’mon—I don’t have time for this,” muttered Nathan. “Let’s go.”

The laptop rebooted, and Nathan logged back into Skype. Messenger was now completely unresponsive.

“Crashed again?” asked Gadd when he reconnected.

“Yup,” said Nathan. “I’ll call Luigi back after he’s dropped off Sophie and the others.”

He took another bite of pizza, nearly spitting it out when an incoming video call notification popped up.

“It’s him,” he said.

He hit “Reject” and then messaged Luigi. _Call me back when you get to the Lab_ , he wrote.

_Not an option_ , was the reply.

_?_

_3:D_

Nathan pounded his desk. “Son of a…!” he cried. “He’s using Luigi’s account to—dear Lord!”

Another video feed popped up, showing the elevator bay. Luigi, Sophie, Melanie, Janelle and Emily came into view.

Nathan resisted the urge to call out. By now, he knew that this was a prelude to a sadistic trap.

Luigi reached the elevator and was about to press the button when those gated barriers slammed down over the elevator doors and surrounding areas.

“Mom?!” uttered Emily.

Janelle soothed her.

Luigi whipped his head around and noticed the camera.

“Stay where you are, Luigi!” instructed Nathan. “Keep them safe!”

Nodding, Luigi readied the Poltergust.

Seconds later, Hell broke loose as large, ominously glowing and red-and-black hued ghosts attacked the quintet.

“No, no, no!” Gadd cried out.

Luigi let the Poltergust rip, defending Sophie and her family to the best of his ability as Gooigi and Polterpup assisted. Sophie, Melanie, Janelle and Emily grabbed the nearest objects within their reach in a desperate bid to help ward off the ghosts. These ghosts were more powerful than any ghost Nathan had ever seen, their blows sending both Luigi and Gooigi flying considerable distances. Noah, Nathan and Gadd shouted to the ghost-wranglers, urging them on, but they could see that the duo’s efforts were growing increasingly futile. For every ghost captured, more arrived on the scene. And all the while, Nathan could swear he heard the King’s evil laughter.

So engaged were Luigi and Gooigi with the ghosts that they didn’t see the Boos coming until it was too late.

“Watch out!” screamed Nathan.

Luigi whirled as the Boos pounced on Sophie, her fiancée, her sister and her niece and attempted to run to their aid, only for the ghosts to force him back. The man in green found himself trapped in a losing battle as the Boos subdued the imperiled quartet, Emily kicking and screaming as they tried to drag her away from her mom.

“Hey!” bellowed Janelle, somehow wrenching herself free of the Boos holding her and grabbing Emily, endeavoring to pull her away from the Boos’ grip. “Don’t you touch my daughter!”

A Boo ripped into her side, causing her to scream in pain and lose her hold on Emily. More Boos seized Janelle and hoisted her aloft.

“So feisty,” cooed the Boos. “You apparently love little Emily very much. Now it’s time for you to be an example to her.”

“No!” yelled Luigi, still attempting to fight his way through the attacking horde. “Get away from them!”

“Well, you’re the one with the Poltergust,” sneered another Boo. “Why don’t you make us?”

And then the Boo turned and thrust a fireplace poker into Janelle’s eye, making her scream again as Emily screamed in horror.

“Mom!” she cried.

Cackling, the Boos jammed a second fireplace poker into Janelle’s other eye before producing more fireplace pokers, which they stabbed into various other areas on her body. More Boos held Emily, Sophie and Melanie in place, making them watch, while more ghosts blocked Luigi’s access to them. Janelle screamed at the top of her lungs in agony as blood pulsed from her wounds and dribbled onto the floor. Emily continued yelling for her mom, while Melanie and Sophie struggled and prayed aloud. But alas, there was nothing that could be done.

The Boos continued using Janelle as a pincushion until her screams quieted. Then, there was a grisly tearing sound as they literally ripped her head from her body. Nathan’s stomach turned, and he dove for his trash can, throwing up the mini pizza he was eating. He could hear Noah and Gadd getting sick, as well.

Nathan straightened in time to witness the Boos shoving Janelle’s head into Emily’s arms, licking the tears from her face and taking a few pictures before the head slipped out of the girl’s hands and some more Boos carried her off. Melanie and Sophie were dragged away, as well, leaving Luigi and Gooigi to deal with the seemingly endless ghosts.

“That poor girl,” gasped Gadd. “That poor, sweet child.”

_Don’t worry. Emily will join her mother soon. 3:D_

“For God’s sake—she’s only a little girl!” yelled Nathan.

_I don’t care._

Meanwhile, the ghosts continued buffeting Luigi, their ranks dwindling at a painstakingly slow rate. Just as Luigi was about to be overrun, however, the ghosts stopped and retreated, leaving their victim crumpled on the floor.

“The Boos,” theorized Gadd. “They must be controlling the ghosts.”

“Like last time?” asked Noah.

“Last time, the ghosts’ minds were broken,” said Gadd, “but this is similar to that.”

They watched Gooigi help Luigi to his feet, the latter screaming at the sight of Janelle’s decapitated head. For a second, they thought he was also gonna get sick, but he didn’t.

“Y—you guys…” he said.

The barriers remained, leaving Luigi trapped in the elevator bay.

Luigi practically stumbled over to the camera, breathing heavily, cut and slashed all over.

“I tried,” he said. “God help me, I tried…”

“We know,” said Nathan.

A feed popped up, showing Emily trapped in a glass box, her screams muffled as she pounded fruitlessly on the wall.

_Like I said_ , King Boo typed, _Emily will rejoin her dear mother. Unfortunately, she’ll have to endure a lot of pain before doing so. 3:D_

Rows of sharp objects began pushing into the box, the doomed girl beating more furiously on her prison as they closed in.

“No—no, no, no, no, no!” hollered Luigi. “I will do anything! Stop this right now! I will do anything!”

_Too late_ , typed King Boo. _EIGHTEEN YEARS too late._

Emily gave the camera a haunting look, as if she realized that it was too late for anyone to save her, tears in her eyes—and then she screamed one last muffled scream as the sharp objects pierced her on all sides, slowly driving into her body. Blood splashed against the glass prison’s walls, Emily’s screams dwindling into wails—and finally into nothing at all.

The sharp objects finally stopped moving, leaving a bloodied, shredded mess which hardly resembled a young girl anymore. A Boo floated into the shot and giggled before the feed disappeared.

Nathan, Noah, Gadd, Luigi and Gooigi stared at each other via their feeds, wearing matching distraught expressions.

_See? Now they’re reunited in Heaven. Which leaves…_

Another video feed appeared, showing the moon hanging in a star-saturated sky. The back of Nathan’s throat froze as the camera panned down to reveal—Melanie and Sophie, tied together.

“Oh, God in Heaven,” he rasped out.

“Mel! Soph!” Luigi shouted urgently. “Can you hear us?!”

_Unfortunately not. 3:D_

The two women were further bruised up, drying blood painting their noses and mouths. Presently, they struggled against their bonds as the Boos dangled them over a building’s ledge.

“The roof,” Gadd said softly. “That’s the rooftop of the Last Resort!”

“Are they gonna…?” Noah breathily asked.

Nathan couldn’t speak.

“Don’t do it!” Luigi entreated. “In the name of God, don’t do it! I’ll do anything you want! I’ll give you anything you want!”

_How generous of you,_ typed King Boo. _But the only thing I want you to do—is suffer._

Cackling, the Boos callously chucked Melanie and Sophie off the rooftop. The two women could only scream as they rode out the terrifying plunge. Nathan gripped the edges of his desk, sweating profusely, wishing he was anywhere but here, wishing he was at least in a position to help. But there was nothing he could do. He was trapped on a roller coaster headed for the bowels of Hell, a roller coaster over which he had no control.

The engaged pair hit the ground with a sickening _splat_ , blood, gore and brain matter splattering every which way. Every bone in their bodies was shattered beyond repair, the impact of their landing twisting their limbs into grotesque angles. Their skulls were pulverized open, pieces of it floating in the growing lake of claret red, staining their hair. Upon their pale faces remained matching looks of mortal terror.

“N—no,” whispered Luigi.

_You think you can save your friends?_ King Boo typed. _You couldn’t even save *them*._

The camera lingered on Melanie and Sophie’s broken bodies before the feed cut out. Then, the deceased couple’s still-active Skype feed was booted from the chat.

_Melanie, Sophie, Janelle and Emily—game over. 3:D_

This time, Luigi _did_ throw up.


	9. Noah's Arc

**October 31, 2019**

**10:51 p.m.**

Nathan pounded his desk in frustration, completely fed up with being a sadistic tyrant’s plaything.

“King Boo!” he snapped. “King Boo, enough! For goodness sake, let it end! Vicky, Jacqui, Elegant, Melanie, Sophie, Flynn, Janelle, Emily—they were innocent people who didn’t do anything! Just—just let Luigi and the others go, okay? Let them go, and I swear to you that we’ll forget this! I swear with Almighty God as my witness, we’ll take no vengeance!”

_This game ends when I decide it ends_ , King Boo typed into the chat. _Besides, I’m having too much fun._

“Take _me_ for a hostage!” cried Nathan. “But let Luigi and his friends go! They don’t deserve this!”

_That’s a generous offer, Nathan. But I must respectfully decline. I have no interest in you or in the Easton Kingdom. I only have eyes for Luigi._

By now, Luigi had recovered, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Nathan,” he said. “I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me. But there’s no use trying to reason with him. Sometimes, you have to meet force with force.”

_Are you all ready for the next round? It’s gonna be a doozy. 3:D_

“No! I’ve had it with this!” bellowed Noah. “I’m ready for you, you giant piece of marshmallow [bleep]! Come on over, man! I’ll [bleep] you up!” He brandished a metal baseball bat as he spoke.

_It’s just so hilarious, watching you trying to act tough,_ typed King Boo. _Perhaps I should pay you a visit next and remind you who’s the powerful one here. 3:D_

Luigi clenched his fists. “If you threaten either of them again…” he warned.

_Threaten? As in, “I’m going to hunt down every last person in your fanbase and every last Smash player who mains you and make them regret ever associating with you”?_

“Not if I can help it,” spat Luigi.

_My minions could be pinpointing them rn. And you’re stuck in a haunted hotel, trying to save your beloved brother and the rest of your friends. Get your priorities straight, Luigi, because you can’t save them all._

“You can be d—n sure I’ll save as many as I can,” Luigi said evenly.

“Noah and I will be fine, Luigi,” said Nathan. “Don’t worry about us. Just focus on Mario, Peach and the others.”

But when he saw Luigi’s eyes shining, he knew his plea had fallen on deaf ears.

“Everything’s gonna work out,” Nathan said gently.

_Are you sure about that?_

“Yes, I am,” Nathan said firmly.

_That plumber stands no chance against me, and neither do you._

“I’ve defeated you twice before,” said Luigi, his eyes narrowed. “I _will_ defeat you again, and I’ll vacuum up every last ghost and Boo standing in my way. No matter what you do—no matter how badly you hurt me—I won’t stop fighting until my loved ones are out of your clutches. You think you put people through Hell? _It will rain back down on you_.”

_Then let it rain._

“Luigi,” Gadd spoke up. “You should head back to the Lab. I don’t feel comfortable with you further exploring the hotel in your current condition.”

Luigi bit his lip, but he nodded in agreement. “Okay,” he said quietly.

“And stop at your hotel room to grab your laptop,” said Noah.

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you when you reach the Lab,” Noah told him.

Luigi sucked in a breath before wheeling around and walking toward the elevator bay. He called the elevator and stepped inside. Nathan, Noah and Gadd saw the elevator doors close before King Boo’s video feed cut to black.

There was a flutter of activity on Luigi’s feed, his cell phone back out of his pocket. The other users watched him disembark from the elevator and walk toward what was presumably his hotel room, tangling with ghosts along the way. He entered the room, grabbed and pocketed his laptop and then fought his way back to the elevator before proceeding to the Lab.

When Luigi arrived, Gadd sat him down and got to work fussing over his wounds.

“Okay, I have my laptop,” said Luigi. “ _Now_ will you tell me what you’re planning?”

“I’m not planning anything,” said Noah. “There’s just this epic game I wanna share with you guys.”

“I’m in no mood to play games right now,” said Luigi.

“C’mon, Luigi, trust me. It’s an awesome game,” said Noah. “When the Professor’s done patching you up, boot up your laptop and check your inbox. I just sent the download link.”

Nathan saw the email notification. “I got it,” he said.

“Don’t click on it until Luigi’s on his laptop,” instructed Noah. “We’re playing the game together. Professor, do you have the link?”

“I do,” replied Gadd. “All righty, youngster. I’ve tended to the worst of your injuries. Now hop on your computer, posthaste!”

Luigi obliged.

“Okay, I’m online, and I just signed into my Gmail account,” he said.

“Great,” said Noah. “On the count of three, we’ll click the link together. Ready?”

Everyone responded in the affirmative.

“Here we go. One—two—three!”

Nathan clicked the link Noah had sent, everyone else following suit.

It was a virus removal software.

_Perfect_ , thought Nathan as he clicked “Run”.

_And just what do you think you’re doing?_ King Boo demanded.

“Oh, we’re just playing a game,” Noah innocently responded. “You like playing games, yes? So, how about we play? This is the perfect game for you, _Your Highness_.”

“I’ve got something for you, you old scoundrel,” muttered Gadd.

“Everyone’s running the program, right?” asked Noah.

“Right,” said Luigi.

_You all have one minute to stop this_ , warned King Boo.

A timer appeared on King Boo’s feed, initiating a countdown from 60 seconds.

“Does anyone have flags yet?” asked Noah. “Let’s all wait until we have flags. Everyone should have more than one flag.”

“Mine’s flagging,” said Luigi.

“So’s mine,” said Nathan.

“Mine, too,” said Gadd.

“So far, so good,” said Noah. “Once the scan’s complete, trash everything that was flagged. Then, open your recycle bins and empty them. Quickly now!”

The timer continued counting down as everyone followed Noah’s instructions.

“Mine’s done!” announced Gadd.

“Mine’s done, too,” said Luigi.

“Mine just finished,” said Nathan.

“Okay, trash all of them,” said Noah.

Nathan clicked on the trash can icon.

“My recycling bin’s almost full,” said Gadd, “so it’s taking a while.”

“That’s fine,” Noah told him. “I’m getting the same problem.”

“All right—finished!” cried Nathan.

“Professor, how goes it?” asked Noah.

“Finally—it’s done,” breathed Gadd.

“Luigi?” queried Noah.

“I’ve got a pinwheel!” Luigi reported. “I’ve got the beach ball of death!”

The timer began flashing red as King Boo cackled evilly.

“ _Dio_ , can this f—ing thing _please_ go faster?!” Luigi frantically exclaimed.

“Hey, it’s gonna be cool,” Noah assured him. “It’s gonna be cool, I promise.”

“Are you good, Noah?” asked Nathan.

“Yeah. We’re just waiting on Luigi.”

Just as the timer reached one second, Luigi exclaimed. “All right—I’m done!”

The quartet waited in suspense as the timer hit zero.

“Did it work?” asked Gadd.

“Is he gone?” asked Nathan. “Is he out?”

King Boo’s video feed disappeared, and Messenger rebooted.

Everyone cheered.

“ _Vaffanculo_ , King Boo!” crowed Luigi. “Suck on that, psycho!”

Nathan laughed.

“ _Grazie_ , Noah,” Luigi said in a softer voice.

“My pleasure, of course,” said Noah.

The pink barriers had disappeared from Noah’s room.

“Noah, grab your stuff and head to the light rail station,” said Luigi. “And hurry!”

Noah nodded, gathering his things.

Luigi closed his laptop and stood.

“You’re going back out there, lad?” Gadd questioned.

“I have to,” Luigi quietly responded.

He turned on his heel and was out the door before the Professor could say anything else.

Nathan glanced at his phone when it chirped. “Welp,” he said. “My Lyft ride was just cancelled. Professor, is there any news on your associate?”

“Unfortunately not,” replied Gadd. “I’ve lost all contact with her.”

Nathan cursed softly. “This night just _can’t_ get any worse,” he groused.

He glanced at Noah’s feed and saw that he was on the phone with someone.

“Yes, hi,” he was saying. “My name is Noah Mitchener, and there’s someone terrorizing me and my friends online. Yeah, I live at…” He gave his home address and then continued. “That’s right. We were all online, and then some psychopath hacked into our Skype chat and threatened us, and they also threatened the Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom. Not only that, but also this guy had a bunch of people _killed_ in front of us. And he went after us because we’re all friends with someone he hates.”

“Noah,” said Gadd. “Switch to speaker phone.”

Noah nodded and pressed a button on his phone, allowing the others to hear the voice on the other end.

“Uh-huh. He just—found his way into our chat and started attacking us. His minions presumably massacred the entire Waffle Kingdom Royal Family after killing Princess Éclair’s pregnant daughter. Another friend of mine was turned into a mural. A professional Smash player was swatted, with fatal results, and another of my friends was thrown to her death, along with her fiancée, after her sister and niece were gruesomely killed.”

“The Easton Kingdom,” said the voice on the other end, presumably a 9-1-1 operator. “That’s in Sarasaland, correct?”

“Correct. Which brings me to my next point. I need you to perform a welfare check on Princess Daisy. My surviving friends and I have reason to believe she’s in imminent danger. An extremely dangerous individual has a vendetta against her boyfriend, and this individual could target her to get to him.”

“I know who you’re referring to,” said the operator, “and we’ll send a car over to Daisy’s to make sure she’s safe. What’s her boyfriend’s current location?”

“This hotel called the Last Resort,” replied Noah.

“Do you know the address?”

“Uh—just a sec.” Noah covered the speaker with one hand. “Nathan—could you…?”

“Sure, sure,” said Nathan, sending the address to Noah via a private message.

Noah then gave the address to the operator.

_Nathan_ , messaged Gadd. _I could use your help with something._

 _Anything, Professor_ , replied Nathan.

_In situations like these, Luigi is all kinds of stubborn. He’ll put the safety and well-being of his friends and loved ones before his own. It’s an admirable trait, but I fear it might get him killed._

_I see what you’re saying._

_Nathan, I need you to make sure that Luigi drops by the Lab after a tough battle. Because how can he rescue his friends when he’s half-dead and exhausted—or worse, completely dead?_

_I’ll talk to him._

_Thanks, Nathan._

_You’re welcome._

As Noah continued talking to the operator, Nathan messaged Luigi.

_Hey, L. Just checking in. Where r u?_

_A seafood restaurant._

_Yummy. I like seafood._

_It’s called the Spectral Catch. And I have this feeling in my gut—that more of my friends are being held in this restaurant._

_After rescuing them, maybe you should order carry-out on your way back to the Lab._

_?_

_L—I’m doing this because I care about you. The Prof and I want you to take frequent breaks, bcuz it’s only gonna get deadlier from here._

_Every minute I spend dawdling is another minute my friends spend in his clutches._

_Yes, I understand that. But don’t you wanna refresh and get some energy back before jumping back into it?_

_I do._

_Please, stop at the Lab periodically._

_Fine. U talked me into it._

_Gr8. Good luck._

Nathan glanced at Luigi’s video feed and saw the ghost-wrangler giving a little wave to the camera before setting off to explore the Spectral Catch.

“Look—the person attacking us, along with Princess Daisy’s boyfriend, is very powerful,” Noah was saying to the operator. “He’s a King, which means that he could have his minions everywhere. Because of that, I’d like to remain anonymous for the time being.”

“Don’t worry. Your call is being treated as confidential. The Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom—is he still at home?”

“He is.”

“And what’s his address?”

Noah told the operator.

“Are you safe?”

“Yeah.”

“All of you?”

“Yup. We’re good. We’re trying to hold on, but we’re good.”

“Even Luigi?”

“Well—kinda. He’s willingly marching into the danger zone to try and save his friends.”

“And even the Professor?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s…” Noah trailed off. “Wait, _what_?”

“Don’t hang up,” the operator said in an ominous monotone.

“Excuse me?” asked Noah.

“Noah?” Gadd piped up. “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

Noah shushed him.

“I said,” the operator spoke. “Don’t. Hang. Up.”

“Who did you call?” asked Gadd.

Noah cursed, slamming on his desk.

“What is it?” Nathan worriedly asked.

“It’s him!” yelled Noah. “It’s that f—ing a—hole!”

Nathan’s blood froze as King Boo’s feed rejoined the group conversation.

_Noah, you just made the worst mistake of your sorry excuse of a life_ , typed the King.

Noah brandished his bat and held it in front of him. “Don’t you try anything!” he barked. “I’m armed!”

Two more feeds appeared. One showed what appeared to be a cave or a grotto, and the other showed—

“Huh?” uttered Nathan as he stared at the second feed. “Is that a lattice—a crate?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luigi, Gooigi and Polterpup wandering through the grotto. Gooigi saw the camera and lightly tugged on Luigi’s sleeve, the two of them hurrying over.

“What are you doing in a grotto?” asked Nathan.

“It’s not a real grotto,” said Luigi. “It’s a bar and lounge area made to look like one.”

“That’s pretty neat,” said Nathan.

Luigi then saw the other feed. “What’s that?” he asked. “Is that also in the hotel?”

“You got me,” said Noah, propping his bat over his shoulder.

Nathan saw the tip of the bat through the lattice or crate. “Noah!”

“What?”

“Stand up for a second,” said Nathan.

“Why…?”

“Just do it, man.”

Noah pushed back his chair and stood up, confirming Nathan’s suspicions. The second mysterious feed was in Noah’s room.

“Turn around, Noah,” said Luigi, transfixed.

Noah did so, his eyes falling on the camera. Briefly, he disappeared from view, and the other heard him moving things around.

“Luigi,” Nathan said urgently. “Don’t worry about us. You suspected that some of your friends are in this restaurant, right?”

Luigi nodded. “Yeah.”

He turned to leave, only for those pink barriers to trap him. In response, he swore in Italian.

“[Bleep], guys,” he said softly.

Noah came back into view after clearing some stuff away, crouched down and then lifted the crate. He remained there for a few long seconds, staring hugely at the camera.

“Noah, WTF is going on?” Nathan asked, a little sharply.

Noah didn’t reply, the color draining from his face, his body starting to shake and his breath coming fast.

And then all feeds disconnected.

“Are you kidding?” huffed Nathan as he waited for Skype to reboot and then reestablished the video call.

Noah’s feed was the first to come back online, buffering as it showed a frozen image of his shirt.

“Noah…” Nathan said softly.

He jumped as the feed came back to life, showing Noah screaming and struggling as Boos cackled at his distress.

Gadd and Luigi were back online, as well, watching the scene in horror.

“God Almighty!” Gadd exclaimed. “Noah?!”

“What are you doing with him?!” Luigi demanded as he and Gooigi clung to each other.

_You’ll see. 3:D_

“Help!” Noah screamed. “Somebody! _Help_!”

And then his feed cut to black.

“What in the name of everything holy?!” shouted Gadd.

Luigi was pacing back and forth, grabbing at his hair as Gooigi futilely tried to calm him down.

Another feed came online, panning around Noah’s room before zooming in on his computer.

And then they saw him.

Noah was now trapped inside his own computer screen, frantically banging on it. His eyes were wild, and his face was bruised. It was just like Mario back in 2001, but while the man in red had been trapped in a painting, Noah was imprisoned in cyberspace. Not that the difference really mattered.

“Get me outta here!” screamed Noah, his voice muffled.

_Comfortable?_ King Boo typed.

“You’d better let me out of here right now, you b—d!” hollered Noah.

_I’ll take that as a “yes”._

Beside Noah, another window popped up, loading some sort of program. And not just any program—

“An antivirus program,” breathed Nathan.

“Oh, God,” choked Luigi.

Noah’s eyes widened as the cursor hovered over the “Run” command.

“No!” he cried. “You can’t do this! You can’t!”

_Yes, I can. And yes, I am._

“Please—no…” whimpered Noah.

The cursor clicked on the “Run” command, and the program began scanning the computer for viruses. When it was finished, the program displayed the message “VIRUS FOUND” in big, red letters.

A dialogue box appeared, releasing scores of dark purple icons with glowing red eyes on them. These icons quickly swarmed Noah as he tried to bat them away.

“No! No!” screamed Noah. “Professor—Luigi—Nathan! HELP ME!”

Then, the unthinkable happened.

The icons began _eating away at Noah_ , slowly reducing him to ribbons of pixelated flesh and blood. He screamed and screamed and screamed as his attackers chewed away, praying aloud for God or any deity to help him.

Nathan, Gadd and Luigi had no choice but to watch.

The icons completely covered Noah now, feasting on him and treating him like a malignant computer virus. He let out one final scream before the others heard the sound of something being rent open.

Finally, the icons dispersed, and Noah was no more.

Another dialogue box appeared, displaying the message “VIRUS REMOVAL COMPLETE. HAVE A NICE DAY!” in bright green letters, accompanied by a smiley face.

The feed faded to black, and then Noah was booted from the Skype chat.

_Noah—game over. 3:D_

“Criminy!” Gadd exclaimed. “This is downright macabre!”

Luigi had both hands pressed against his mouth, and Nathan heard him trying to keep his breathing under control.

_Luigi, chill_ , typed King Boo.

“You—you…” Luigi managed to say. “You f—ing…”

_Language_ , chided King Boo.

“ _You’d_ swear like a sailor too if you were going through something like this!” Luigi retorted.

“Bro…” Gooigi said softly.

Luigi looked at his gooey doppelganger in surprise. “Wha…?”

“Bro,” Gooigi said again. “My Bro. I’m with you. Okay? I’m with you.”

“Oh, Gooigi…” uttered Luigi as he moved into Gooigi’s arms.

“S’okay,” cooed Gooigi as the two of them hugged. “S’okay.”

“No, it’s not,” Luigi said softly.

“You’re right,” conceded Gooigi, “but it is what it is.”

He kissed Luigi on the forehead before lancing the camera with a glare.

“You are so _merged_ with your own sadism,” he charged, “you don’t even identify it as sadism anymore! You’re such a _d—k_!”

“You tell him, Gooigi!” Nathan added.

_You only have Luigi to thank for that,_ typed King Boo. _He made me and my subjects who we are today._

Luigi raised his head, giving the camera a fiercely defiant look.

_Well, it looks like it’s just Nathan, the geezer and Luigi_ , typed King Boo. _Who will walk out alive?_


	10. Against the Tide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You should know the drill by now. There's blood, there's gore, there's violence and there's disturbing imagery.

**October 31, 2019**

**11:11 p.m.**

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough for one night?!” snapped Gadd.

_No. Not at all._

“Well—what more do you want?” asked Nathan.

_My brethren and I want to make all of you pay._

“For what? Refusing to believe your twisted logic?!” balked Nathan.

_For enjoying the sight of me getting SHWEEERRPP-SHLOOOOP-WHOOORPP-SHLEEEOOORG’ed into that f—ing housecleaning device. 3:D_

“Okay, we get it! Luigi sucked you into the Poltergust! So, now you want to hunt down everyone who mains him in a tournament that you don’t know jack [bleep] about!” hollered Nathan. “You’re a f—ing idiot!”

_The only idiot here is you if you think this has a happy ending._

“Enough of this!” cried Nathan. “Just leave us alone!”

_Or what? You’ll sic the Easton Kingdom’s armies on us?_

“Don’t tempt me,” said Nathan.

_I’m getting really tired of people giving me orders._

“Oh, yeah?” Nathan shot back. “Well, _I’m_ getting really tired of you harassing me and my friends because we hang around with a man whose sole crime was to defend his brother!”

_The very brother who repeatedly trespassed on my dominion?_

“You allied with a routine princess-snatcher!” charged Luigi. “And Mario was just passing through! It wasn’t like he was physically attacking you or anything!”

_I didn’t appreciate a complete stranger strutting through my territory like he belonged there._

“Would you stop trying to justify your actions for one God—m second?” snapped Luigi. “The fact of the matter is—you formed a political and military alliance with a reptile who repeatedly harasses a peaceful realm and makes unwanted advances toward its ruler, a reptile who happens to be _our_ enemy! That’s the downside of allying with someone—you have to deal with _their_ adversaries, as well! What you did to my bro _certainly_ didn’t help your case!”

“He’s right,” said Nathan. “Your decision to trap, torment, torture and terrorize Mario made things personal as far as Luigi’s concerned. Because nobody messes with his bro!”

“Even if the perpetrator scares him half to death!” Gadd put in. “So, don’t even think about discouraging him from trying to save the rest of his friends and fans!”

_Oh, I’m *absolutely* counting on him to try and save them. How does the saying go? “The third time’s the charm.” 3:D_

“I gave Luigi a brand-new Poltergust,” said Gadd. “He’s gonna fight his way to the top of that hotel, and then he’s gonna face you—and win. There’s no way out of this.”

Luigi nodded vigorously. “If you wanna stop me from going any further, then you’re gonna have to kill me,” he said.

_That’s the plan. 3:D_

“Yeah, well—good luck with that,” said Nathan.

He watched as Luigi unbuttoned his overalls, took off his shirt and cast it aside. And whenever the man in green stripped off his shirt, that meant he was getting down to business.

The man in green refastened his coveralls and glared determinedly at the camera. “I’m going back in,” he said levelly before switching the camera off.

Nathan gazed at the Professor. “Now what do we do?” he asked.

“The only thing we _can_ do at the moment,” said Gadd. “Pray.”

_Not so fast_ , typed King Boo. _I have something for you._

He sent an attachment.

“Don’t—open it,” said Gadd.

“Of course I won’t,” said Nathan.

He gasped as his cursor suddenly started to move, seemingly by itself!

“Hey! Stop that!” shouted Nathan.

Gadd frowned. “What’s wrong, Nathan?”

“My cursor—my cursor is alive!”

“What do you mean?” asked Gadd.

“I mean, I’m not touching the mouse—and yet the cursor is moving!” Nathan explained as he began using the mouse to fight the seemingly sentient cursor for control.

“Your cursor isn’t alive,” said Gadd. “I think King Boo has taken control of your computer!”

Nathan swore as the cursor, now under King Boo’s direction, clicked on the link, opening the attachment.

And his heart nearly stopped beating.

There was his friend in Daisy’s castle. He was dead, pinned against the wall of a dark room by multiple darts, his dimmed eyes staring and seeing nothing. There were darts impaled through his palms, limbs, torso, trunk—and even a certain southerly area. Blood leaked from the wounds and puddled on the floor.

“How did he…?” Nathan wondered aloud.

He was interrupted when King Boo sent another attachment, once again taking control of Nathan’s cursor and clicking on it.

And there was the rescue party Nathan’s friend had dispatched, also dead, sprawled in a lake of blood.

_I’ll make note of their bravery_ , King Boo typed.

“You psychopath,” breathed Nathan.

_I’m not a psychopath—I’m a high-functioning sociopath._

Next, King Boo posted a link to a LiveLeak video, which he then opened.

Nathan was taken to a page, asking to confirm that he was 18 years of age or older. He fought against the cursor, but it was no use. King Boo clicked “Yes”, and the video began to play.

That video made the gravity of the situation extremely clear.

Boos were pouncing on unsuspecting gamers, swarming them by the scores and roughing them up before forcing them into paintings. And these weren’t any ordinary gamers—they were Luigi mains! To make things worse, the incident was being captured on their live streams, so that their audience could hear them screaming and pleading fruitlessly with the Boos as they slowly overcame them. And after sealing the gamers in paintings, the Boos went after their family members! Even teenaged and prepubescent Luigi mains weren’t safe from the Boos’ wrath. The attacks were reminiscent of being swatted, and Nathan and Gadd had no choice but to watch. Nathan tried to exit out of the video, but it kept disappearing and appearing in another part of his screen.

“What the Hell?!” bellowed Nathan. “They don’t even know who you are!”

_They will. By the time this is over—I’m gonna have so many artworks to admire. I might even wind up having an ART SALE._

“Are you serious?” gasped Nathan. “You’re talking about uprooting _thousands_ of innocent lives! All because of a conflict _you_ escalated!”

_That’s right, Nathan! Tonight, I’m painting the town red! If anyone attempts to bring destruction down upon me, then I won’t hesitate to react in kind. Only my power and mere pleasure is keeping you alive. 3:D_

Nathan was almost as green as Luigi’s cap. “[Bleep],” he said. “I gotta…”

“Nathan?” Luigi piped up. “What’s going on?”

“He—he’s initiated a manhunt of your fans and mains that could reach a global scale,” said Nathan. “There’s a video on LiveLeak, and his minions are trapping everyone maining you in portraits, along with their families. Are you still at the Spectral Catch?”

“Yes, and I’ve just boarded a ship,” Luigi told him. “I see two more Toad retainers up on the quarter deck. But the question is—how am I gonna get up there?”

“There isn’t a staircase?” asked Nathan.

“I don’t see one,” replied Luigi.

There was a splash, and Nathan saw Luigi whirl around.

“What is it?” Nathan asked urgently.

“It’s a shark!” Luigi exclaimed. “A ghostly pirate shark! I gotta…”

He was cut off by ghostly laughter, followed by the sound of swords unsheathing.

“I’ve got some swashbuckling to do!” announced Luigi. “Talk to you later! Stay safe!”

And then he disabled his video feed.

“A ghostly pirate shark?” repeated Nathan. “Shiver me timbers!”

“We both know that pirates don’t give up their loot without a fight,” said Gadd, “and Luigi’s dealing with _ghostly_ pirates. Good thing he has Gooigi and the Poltergust G-00—that’ll save him from becoming the catch of the day!”

“I couldn’t have said that better myself,” said Nathan. “Look, Professor. With my friend dead at the Boos’ hands, I have no choice. I gotta head to Princess Daisy’s castle and warn her myself. She needs to head to a safe location. For all I know, the Boos are on their way here. Have you reestablished contact with your associate?”

“No, I haven’t, but I’ll keep trying,” replied Gadd.

Silence. Then—

“I’m gonna fix myself something to eat,” said Nathan. “I’ll be right back.”

He went into the kitchen and made himself some ham-and-cheese sandwiches, which he heated up in the microwave.

“Told you I wouldn’t be long,” he said when he returned. “Did I miss anything?”

“Sadly, no,” replied Gadd.

“So, we’re stuck with waiting it out?” asked Nathan.

Gadd solemnly nodded.

Nathan took a bite out of one of his sandwiches. “Figures,” he said.

And so—Gadd and Nathan waited, the latter listening to his music and munching on sandwiches while the former poured himself a brandy.

Nathan had eaten half of his sandwiches when an update finally arrived.

Luigi’s video feed was once again active, showing the deck of the ghostly pirate shark’s ship. The first thing that caught Nathan’s attention was the crimson smeared across the wooden floor. Miraculously, he didn’t feel the urge to puke up the sandwiches he’d eaten. Maybe he’d gotten used to the sight of blood. Who could tell?

The second thing catching Nathan’s eye was the rope ladder leading to the quarter deck, where he could see two paintings hanging side-by-side.

“Okay, way to go,” said Nathan. “You got that ghostly pirate shark, and now you can save those two retainers.”

“Captain Fishhook,” Luigi’s voice said breathily. “His name was Captain Fishhook, and he was using the next elevator button as a prosthetic eye. He fought by possessing the ship’s main deck, while his ghostly crew attacked with cutlasses and ignited powder kegs. Whenever he opened his mouth, I shot a powder keg at it, and I kept firing off powder kegs until I forced him out. Then, he’d slash at me with his hook hand, which protected him from the Strobulb. My sole opening was when he stabbed the hook into the floorboards. This went on for several more cycles before he decided to possess the entire ship! I had to fire my Suction Shot at a small plank of wood, and when he tipped the ship forward, I had to grab onto the plunger to keep me from falling into his jaws. Then, his crew lined up in front of me like a firing squad, hurling the powder kegs at me, and I had to try and shoot them back into that huge mouth. It repeated again and again and again, and I—I just thought about the two Toads. I could hear them, you know. They spurred me on by singing a little sea shanty. And when I finally forced Captain Fishhook out of his ship, I had to deal with another of his attacks, in which he tried to chomp me before slicing away with his hook. In addition, his crew members took swipes at me with their cutlasses, and I had to defeat them before finally defeating _him_.” He laughed. “I reeled in one Inferno of a catch tonight.”

“We knew you could do it, Luigi!” cheered Gadd.

“No, really. When I was capturing Cap’n Fishhook, I decided to pretend I was reeling in the day’s catch, since the Poltergust has a handle. Okay, I’m heading up the quarterdeck now to rescue the Toads. Hang on.”

Nathan and Gadd saw denim as Luigi pocketed his phone. They heard him scurrying up the rope ladder. And then the camera was focused on the two Toad retainers as Luigi shone his Dark Light on them, freeing them from their confines. They slid down a cannon and straight into Luigi’s arms.

“It’s okay—you’re safe now,” Luigi said soothingly, hugging the Toads close. “Wanna say hi to a friend of mine?”

“Sure,” chirped the Toads, and then Luigi gave his phone to one of them.

The two Toads smiled into the camera, reclining against Luigi’s chest.

“Hello,” said the Toad holding the phone.

“Hi,” said Gadd. “Are you all right?”

“We’re fine, thank you,” said the other Toad. “Who’s the other guy?”

“My name’s Nathan, but you can call me Nate. I main Luigi in Smash Bros.”

“Hi, Nate,” chirped the first Toad. “My name’s Ryder.”

“And my name’s Rian,” added the other Toad.

“We’re twins,” said Ryder.

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” asked Nathan.

“We sustained a few bruises,” said Rian, “but otherwise, we’re unscathed.”

“Okay,” said Nathan, “because it looks like you’re bleeding.”

“Bleeding…?” Rian looked down at the blood staining his jerkin and his skin, with Ryder following suit. “We don’t—we don’t think that’s ours.”

“No—that’s—not our blood,” added Ryder.

Then, his eyes widened, and he swiveled around to look at his rescuer. “Oh, my God,” he uttered. “Holy [bleep].”

“Ryder,” said Gadd. “Give the phone back to Luigi.”

Ryder obliged, and Nathan and Gadd cursed in unison. Frightful-looking slashes adorned Luigi’s face, with one dangerously close to his left eye. More gashes crisscrossed his upper body, all of them drooling blood. Burns and soot accentuated these wounds, indicating a hard-earned victory against Cap’n Fishhook and his crew.

“Wait a minute—what’s Gooigi doing in the Poltergust’s tank?” asked Gadd. “He should’ve been helping you!”

“It wasn’t safe with powder keg explosions raging around me,” argued Luigi.

“My word! You’re bleeding everywhere!” Gadd exclaimed. “Youngster, I want you in my Lab yesterday, and don’t make the mistake of keeping me waiting!”

Luigi sighed. “If you insist,” he said.

His face and voice softened as he addressed the Toads. “Ready to go?”

“Ready,” said Ryder.

“Ready!” chirped Rian.

The two Toads rode piggyback on Luigi as he descended the rope ladder. But before they could disembark, those gated barriers slammed down in front of the gangplank.

Luigi spoke calmly in a low voice. “Stay behind me, and don’t panic,” he said.

Quickly, Ryder and Rian dove behind Luigi as he brandished the Poltergust.

Nathan’s heartbeat sped up as Boos clad in pirate garb materialized. Some had hooks in lieu of appendages, others wore eyepatches, others had peglegs, and all of them wore tricorn hats. All of them giggled menacingly as they advanced on Luigi, Ryder and Rian.

“Surrender now, and we’ll go easy on you!” said one of the Booccaneers.

“In your dreams,” replied Luigi.

“We figured you’d say that,” the Booccaneer cackled.

All of the Booccaneers drew rapiers and attacked.

The swords, hook hands and eyepatches could block the Dark Light, forcing Luigi to vacuum up the eyepatches and wait for an opening. Nathan watched, transfixed, as Luigi valiantly defended Ryder and Rian against the Booccaneers, grabbing one of them by the tongue and then slamming them into their compadres. Often, a Booccaneer would try to grab a Toad, but Luigi was too fast, keeping his body planted between his charges and the attackers. Nathan heard him breathe in through his nostrils and out through his mouth and saw the camera swing wildly as he evaded or tried to evade attacks. But so far, things looked good, and Nathan allowed himself to hope that for once, the light would pierce this dark night.

And then the feed went black.

“Luigi?” asked Nathan. “Luigi?! Are you still with us?”

Giggling.

“The stupid Boos must’ve intercepted his signal!” cried Gadd.

“My prayers are with him—along with Ryder and Rian,” said Nathan.

His stomach dropped when Luigi’s feed was abruptly booted from the chat. Without missing a beat, Nathan worked to reconnect with his main.

“What about the Virtual Boo?” asked Nathan. “Is it still working?”

“I’m getting static!” reported Gadd. “This isn’t good at all!”

And it was about to get worse.

King Boo’s eyes burned into Nathan and Gadd as his feed rematerialized as he snarled into the frame.

“Don’t you just hate it when you trap someone in a painting, and then someone else comes along and _frees_ them?!” spat King Boo. “God—mit! I’m sick of this [bleep]! I thought I had the cream of the crop helping me this time around, but I guess I was wrong!”

Nathan blinked. “Are you done?” he asked.

“Not by a long shot!” yelled King Boo. “I’m gonna enjoy dangling hope in front of my old pal Luigi like a carrot before yanking it away! Just you wait! Before this night is over, he’ll get what he f—ing deserves!”

Another feed appeared on the chat, showing Luigi struggling against the grip of two Booccaneers. A mix of sweat and blood left a sheen on his bare arms and upper chest, and Nathan could make out additional gashes and bite marks on Luigi, along with nasty bruises.

“No!” he was yelling. “No, you can’t have them!”

“Says who?” challenged King Boo with a leer.

A third feed popped up, showing some more Booccaneers tying up a struggling and screaming Ryder with a length of rope and shoving a rag into his mouth before throwing him over the ship’s port side. Then, they started dragging the rope towards the stern.

The Booccaneers holding Luigi forcibly turned his head and held it in place, making him watch.

“Oh, my God,” said Nathan. “They’re keelhauling him!”

“Where’s Rian?” asked Gadd.

As if in reply, a fourth feed appeared, and then they saw Rian, stripped of his jerkin and bound to one of the ship’s masts.

_We’ll deal with him later,_ typed King Boo. _Let’s take care of Ryder first._

Luigi kicked and twisted, but the Booccaneers had an iron grip, and they held him in places that could hurt like Hell if they wanted to. He tried to activate Burst, but the Booccaneers had anticipated this, pinning his hands behind his back. Tears welled in his eyes as he was made to watch his attackers drag the submerged Ryder along the side of the ship. And once they reached the stern, they slowly dragged him back.

After what seemed like years, the Booccaneers hoisted Ryder back up and casually dumped him before Luigi, who screamed in response. The limp, bloody mass on the ship’s deck looked nothing like Ryder. Barnacles and other stuff clinging to the ship’s submerged side had sliced into the Toad, leaving behind a grotesque lump of hamburger with a barely distinctive mushroom cap. Both of his eyes had been torn out, and blood stained the rag that had gagged him.

Nathan saw Luigi dry-heave. But to his shock, his own stomach remained steady. Had he become desensitized to the mayhem King Boo was causing?

_Steady, Luigi. There’s still the second half to experience. 3:D_

The Booccaneers revealed Rian to Luigi, and as the feed showing the remaining Toad brightened, Nathan saw that he was bound to the ship’s mainmast. More Booccaneers materialized around him, whips tight in their appendages. And not just any whips—those were cat o’nine tails.

“Rian!” shouted Luigi, struggling fiercer than ever.

Nathan and Gadd began shouting, as well, as the Booccaneers lit into Rian, their whips lashing again and again into his small body as he screamed from the pain. The captive audience saw and heard flesh ripping with every swing, and it didn’t take long for the whips to become clotted with blood. Relentlessly, the whips rose and fell, taking more bits of flesh along with them. One swing even left Rian’s right eye dangling out of its socket, and another nearly cleaved his lips in half. Rian’s screams weakened as blood loss took over, and still the beating went on, the Boos cackling with joy, some of them visibly aroused whenever blood sprinkled onto them. Tattered strips of skin dangled from the ends of the whips as they hissed through the air like snakes.

Finally, Rian was just as barely recognizable as Ryder. And with one final stroke from a Booccaneer’s whip, Rian’s head was cleanly severed from his body, resulting in a splash of blood.

_Well done, brethren. How about we wrap things up with a nice burial at sea?_

Several Booccaneers stuffed Ryder’s body into a weighted burlap sack, which they dropped overboard. They did the same to Rian’s headless body, and then used the head to further torment Luigi before unceremoniously chucking it into the sea, as well.

The Booccaneers holding Luigi released him, which proved to be their undoing. The ghost-hunter composed himself rather quickly, unloading his angst and grief on every Booccaneer in his sights with cathartic efficacy. All of the Booccaneers found themselves slammed into the wooden deck, into cannons and into each other. Nathan cheered as if he was watching a football game, and Gadd silently spectated, his eyes greedy behind his spectacles.

Luigi wrestled the last Booccaneer into the Poltergust and stood there for a moment, fists clenched, trying to calm down. Then, he sank to his knees, took off his cap and held it over his heart, whispering a prayer and a benediction.

“Luigi…” Nathan said consolingly.

“Why?” asked Luigi. “Why does this [bleep] keep happening to me?”

“Come back to the Lab,” Gadd said gently. “I’ll dress your wounds, and you’ll have a chance to calm down.”

“I’m on my way,” Luigi said glumly.

_Go on, take a break. The fun will resume shortly._

King Boo gave Luigi, Gadd and Nathan a smirk and a mocking half-salute before disabling his feed.

And as Luigi stumbled off the ship, the feed showing him went dark, too.

“All righty!” exclaimed Gadd. “The Virtual Boo signal is back!”

“So is Luigi’s Skype signal,” Nathan joined in as he once again viewed the denim of Luigi’s coveralls.

There was a flash of a white glove as Luigi took his phone out of his pocket. Nathan and Gadd saw that he was back in the elevator, leaning against the wall and allowing his body to slide into a seated position. He released Gooigi from the Plexiglass tank, the gooey humanoid sitting beside him and rubbing circles into his companion’s back. Polterpup hopped onto Luigi’s lap and nuzzled the base of his chin, and the hero in green threw his arms around his pet and buried his face against his “fur”.

His body started to shake.

He wept.

And his fan and his mentor wept with him.


	11. Virginia Reeling

**October 31, 2019**

**11:41 p.m.**

The weeps soon died down to quiet hiccups and sniffles. Nathan wiped his tears with his sleeve as he watched Luigi disembark from the elevator and walk toward the Lab. He saw Luigi enter the command center, pocket his phone and appear on Gadd’s feed, whereupon the scientist and his mentee briefly conversed in low voices.

Luigi sat down and unbuckled his overalls, allowed Gadd to treat his injuries.

“Uh—Luigi?” uttered Nathan. “Do you—do you wanna talk about it?”

“Maybe later,” Luigi replied.

He winced as Gadd dabbed at the gashes and slashes with antiseptic.

“Apologies,” said Gadd. “I just don’t want you getting an infection.”

The Professor then grabbed the bandages, which he securely wrapped around the wounds. When he was finished, Luigi rebuttoned his overalls and accepted another plate of food from his mentor.

Silence hung between the trio as Nathan took the opportunity to finish the last of his sandwiches and then make some more, tuna fish this time.

“Look,” Nathan said after a while. “I know something horrible just happened, but I was wondering if—if we could play a game before Luigi leaps back into it.”

A look passed between Gadd and Luigi.

“S—s—sure,” said Gadd. “Would you like to go first?”

“Yes, I would,” said Nathan, selecting a card. “A romantic, candlelit dinner would be incomplete without blank.”

There was another heavy silence before Gadd tossed out an answer.

“A discussion on the theory of relativity,” he said.

“Someone playing ‘Despacito’,” said Luigi.

“A bouncy castle,” said Gooigi.

“I—I like Luigi’s,” said Nathan. “Would you like to go next?”

Luigi chose a card. “All I want for Christmas is blank,” he said.

“My very own Starbucks,” said Nathan.

“Bagels,” said Gadd.

“A gigantic c—k,” said Gooigi.

Nathan couldn’t resist a snicker.

“What?” asked Gooigi. “It was all I could think of.”

“I’ll go with Gooigi,” said Luigi.

“My turn, then,” said Gooigi, plucking a card. “Elon Musk showed off his new blank.”

“Jockstrap,” said Luigi.

“Miniskirt,” said Nathan.

“Crop top,” said Gadd.

“Okay—that’s a tie,” said Gooigi, picking another card, “so, let’s do a tiebreaker. Cancel all my meetings. We’ve got a situation with blank that requires my immediate attention.”

“My Discord server,” said Gadd.

“My side chick,” said Nathan.

Luigi blushed. “My—my gigantic c—k,” he said.

Gooigi giggled. Nathan almost fell out of his chair laughing.

“Okay, Luigi. You win,” said Gooigi.

“Wow,” breathed Luigi as he ate the last bit of food on his plate. “I actually feel a little better. Thanks, Nate.”

“You’re welcome,” said Nathan. “There’s something you need to know, however. The friend I called in Sarasaland’s capital is dead. I think the Boos got him. And the help he sent is also dead. Our only hope is that I attempt to reach out to Daisy myself, but since you don’t want her in the line of fire…”

“No, I don’t,” said Luigi. “If you can, message her and tell her to stay in her castle, at least until daybreak.”

“Got it,” said Nathan, doing just that. “Whether or not she’ll actually heed my advice is regrettably beyond my control.”

“That’s Daisy for you,” said Luigi.

His face now bore a grimly determined look. “Okay, Professor,” he said. “I’m going back in. And I’m not coming out until I deal with King Boo once and for all. You just _try_ and stop me.”

Gadd futilely reached out to Luigi as he whirled on his heel and marched out of the Lab.

Softly, the Professor swore. “I can’t talk him out of this, can I?”

Nathan solemnly shook his head.

The next few minutes consisted of Nathan and Gadd making small talk or attempting to make small talk as they monitored Luigi on his Skype feed. They watched him battle against ghosts coming at him in droves as Gooigi helped. They watched Polterpup affectionately pounce on him and lick his cheek at certain intervals. They listened to Luigi humming a made-up tune to keep himself together, and they listened to him grunt and huff as he slammed attacking ghosts this way and that.

“We can only pray that he manages to get Mario and Peach out of there alive,” said Gadd, “because if King Boo takes them away from Luigi, then that’s bound to destroy him.”

_That’s the truth of it,_ typed King Boo. _U guys doing okay?_

“We were,” Nathan said bitterly.

_Well, guess what? Break time’s over._

King Boo’s feed came back to life, showing an eerily-lit room.

“What are we looking at?” asked Gadd.

“Someone’s hotel suite, maybe?” suggested Nathan. “Like a penthouse or something?”

“Whose penthouse?” Gadd wanted to know.

“My guess would be—his fan club president’s,” said Nathan. “Hellen’s.”

Gadd shrugged. “Plausible,” he said.

Luigi, Polterpup and Gooigi walked into the shot.

“Youngster!” shouted Gadd. “Can you hear us?”

Luigi turned, hurried over to the computer and sat down in front of it. Polterpup jumped into his lap and was soon lavished with pets and rubs.

“I’m close,” he said. “I can feel it. Everything’s getting more treacherous.”

“I agree,” said Nathan. “Are you in a penthouse of sorts?”

“Hellen’s penthouse,” said Luigi, “and I think she has one of my friends stashed inside. Mario, to be more specific. When we were checking in, she was acting really creepy and icky toward him. Like she was trying to flirt with him or something.”

“Ick,” grimaced Nathan. “You need to capture her [bleep], and quickly.”

“And after that, I can defeat King Boo and end this nightmare,” said Luigi. “Those gamers he’s captured—I don’t know if they’re also in this hotel or being held somewhere else, but I’m gonna find them, and then I’m gonna free them using my Dark-Light device.”

_You wish_ , typed King Boo. _Hello, Luigi. Nice of you to join us. I’m actually amazed that you got this far._

Luigi held his Poltergust in steady hands, levelling it at the screen. “Those Smash players have never seen you before in their lives,” he said. “Let them go.”

_Make me._

“I mean it, King Boo,” said Luigi. “No more of this madness. Nathan and those Smash players—they have nothing to do with this. Some of them were still in diapers when we first encountered each other. They don’t need to answer for something I did. Just let them live their lives. I’ll convince them not to go to the police, okay? I don’t care what you do to me—just leave Nate, my fans and the Smashers who main me out of it!”

_Oh, Luigi, this has everything to do with them. When you ally with someone, you have to deal with their enemies, too. Remember?_

“Then I guess it’s time for me to deal with my enemy before he goes after anyone else,” snapped Luigi. “I’m serious about this, King Boo. Enough of these games. Just you and me, one-on-one. Right here, right now.”

_Oh, my sweet, sweet Luigi—that sounds like fun. But I have a better idea._

“And what’s that?” asked Luigi.

_An empire toppled by its enemies will rise again. But one toppled from within—that’s gone. Forever._

Gadd jumped slightly as the lights in his Lab blinked on and off.

_Shall we play a game, PROFESSOR?_

“What are you talking about?” Gadd asked sharply, breaking out in a sweat.

“Professor,” Luigi said in a low, urgent tone as Polterpup barked agitatedly. “Whatever he asks you—do _not_ answer. Do _not_ give in.”

King Boo then sent the group a .jpg attachment entitled “True Love”.

“Nobody click on that,” gasped Gadd.

_Must I do everything?_ King Boo typed as he opened the attachment.

It was a black-and-white photo of a teenaged couple, dressed formally and smiling with their arms around each other. The boy in the photo wore a familiar pair of spectacles, a tuft of his hair standing up on end like a candle flame.

“Oh, my holy God,” gasped the Professor. “Where did you get this?!”

_That isn’t relevant right now._

King Boo sent and then opened a second .jpg attachment, simply titled “Touch U Good”. It was a photo of the same young couple, sharing an intimate moment.

“Wait—Professor, that’s you!” exclaimed Nathan.

Tight-lipped, Gadd nodded.

“But who’s the girl?” asked Nathan.

“Nathan,” warned Luigi.

“What? I’m just curious,” defended Nathan.

_Professor, please identify the woman in the photo._

“No!” defied Gadd. “You can’t make me!”

_Your funeral._

Another video feed appeared, showing someone’s computer, presumably King Boo’s, as a website URL was typed into an Internet browser.

The browser then showed the home page for some sort of high school Nathan had never heard of before.

Gadd was practically gray in the face.

King Boo then executed some sort of hacking tool which allowed him to access the high-school’s yearbook database. He scrolled down to the yearbook for the 1915-16 school year and clicked on it.

There was a closeup of a teenaged Gadd, before the camera panned down to the woman in the photo. The yearbook identified her as Virginia Clarisse Davenport.

Gadd covered his mouth with both hands. “No—no, no…” he uttered.

“Just don’t answer, okay?” Luigi told him. “Whatever you do, _do not_ answer.”

A third feed popped up, showing a frail and elderly woman in a hospital bed, hooked to a respirator and a host of other machines.

A pained sob escaped Gadd’s throat.

“Professor…” Nathan said softly.

“He wasn’t supposed to find her,” said Gadd.

“The girl in the photo—she’s a close friend of yours?” asked Nathan.

Gadd’s lips trembled. “She’s my high-school sweetheart,” he confessed.

Utter silence as his words sank in.

And then King Boo initiated a countdown from one minute.

“Wha—why are you counting down?!” Gadd demanded. “What do you want from me?!”

_Oh, I think you know, Professor._

“What do you think I did?” asked Gadd.

_I think you know that, too._

“If this is about the ghosts and Boos I’ve captured over the years, then it was in self-defense!” Gadd said hotly. “I’d never attack them unless they attacked me first!”

_Relax, Professor. This isn’t about that. It’s about something you did to a person you supposedly care about._

“What—what are you…?” Gadd wanted to know.

_Luigi, don’t you find it strange that the Professor was trapped in the Last Resort along with your friends?_

“He told me that he was in the area for a convention,” said Luigi.

_Ah, but that’s only half the story, Luigi. Your dear mentor is keeping something from you._

“No, I’m not!” shouted Gadd. “Don’t listen to him, Luigi! He’s trying to lure you into his web!”

_How do you think I met up with my fan club president, hmm? I was locked in a vault—a vault which only the Professor had access to. The only way for me to wind up in this hotel was for him to personally transport me here. And why—would he want to do that?_

“Stop,” said Gadd. “Please, stop.”

_It’s amusing that you still think you can give me orders._

“Professor,” Luigi said slowly. “What is he talking about?”

Gadd opened his mouth to respond, only for King Boo to beat him to the punch.

_You haven’t been completely honest with your mentee, Professor. That’s about to change. And now—you know precisely what I want from you._

Gadd looked stricken. “N—no…”

_You’re going to tell Luigi the exact circumstances leading to my escape._

“You’re insane! You’re…”

_The truth—or Virginia’s life. Your choice._

“For the love of God!” screamed Gadd. “Kill me, but leave her alone! You don’t have to involve her!”

_Tick-tock, Professor._

“What does he mean by ‘circumstances’?” asked Luigi. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Professor?”

“He’s messing with your head, my boy,” said Gadd. “You can’t let him, okay?”

_“Messing with his head”, you say? You knew that I’d hunt down Luigi and his friends and make them pay the first chance I got. Why, then, would you bring me to this *convention*, knowing the threat I posed? Unless—the lure of fame and fortune was too great. Unless—you were *specifically* asked to bring yours truly._

“‘Specifically asked’?!” repeated Luigi. “Professor—he’s not suggesting what I _think_ he’s suggesting, is he?”

“I’m telling you, this is all part of his game…” Gadd started.

“Don’t give me that!” Luigi broke in. “You owe me the truth!”

_For once, we agree on something._

“Just—let’s just sit down and think about this, okay?” pleaded Gadd. “We can find a way to settle this rigmarole!”

_I agree. I just told you how—but it’s a special, limited-time offer._

“I’m telling you—what you’re about to do—you’ll have to live with it for all eternity,” warned Gadd. “Please—don’t do this to us!”

_That’s entirely up to you, Professor. And it looks like time is running out._

“Professor.” Luigi’s voice had hardened. “If King Boo somehow escaped on your watch, then I deserve to know.”

_Yes, Luigi—did I break out of my prison on the Professor’s watch? Or did he enable my escape by falling for the wiles of a beautiful woman?_

“Excuse me?” asked Luigi.

_That’s right. The same woman who invited you to the hotel was the same woman who invited the Professor to this *convention*. You didn’t actually think it was just coincidence that you found him sealing in a painting, did you?_

Luigi gazed at his mentor, his face flint. Gadd looked at his feet.

_Professor—don’t you want this to be over?_

“I just want you to leave us in peace,” Gadd replied, a little tearfully.

_I can certainly make that happen, if you only say a few words to Luigi. You know the old saying—the truth will set you free._

The timer was now at 15 seconds. Gadd snatched at his mop of hair.

_You’ll not only save Luigi and Nathan, but you’ll also save your precious Virginia._

“Dear God, what do I do?” murmured Gadd. “Just tell me what to do…”

“Professor, you’d better tell me what the [bleep] you did right now,” said Luigi, his eyes flashing.

“I can’t…” Gadd said, his voice shaking.

_This is your last chance, Professor. Tell him the truth, or watch Virginia die._

At the last possible second, Professor Elvin Gadd finally broke, pounding on his console in frustration.

“I’m sorry,” he uttered. “I’m sorry, Luigi. I’m so sorry.”

“What did you do?” Luigi demanded of the older man.

“Hellen—she called me personally and told me about the convention she was hosting. And you know how much I enjoy sharing my findings and research with my fellow scientific minds. Anyway, she offered free accommodations at the hotel, and then—she told me—to bring King Boo.”

“And you agreed,” Luigi said in a low voice.

“Well—not initially,” said Gadd. “I tried to talk her out of it, okay? I told her that he was a danger to himself and to others and tried to pique her interest in my other ghosts. But it was like trying to move a brick wall. She assured me that she and her staff would take the necessary precautions. And then she threatened to drop me from the convention unless I agreed to bring King Boo. The lure of necking with other people in my field overpowered everything else, and I—capitulated.”

“You mean to tell me that you _willingly_ brought him here?! After everything he did to me?!” Luigi’s voice was rising.

“There was an opportunity, and—I couldn’t bear to say ‘no’,” said Gadd.

“ _That’s_ your excuse?!” charged Luigi. “You saw an _opportunity_ , so you decided to let common sense fall by the wayside?!”

“Well—I…”

“King Boo escaped the first time because of you! You held some godforsaken _yard sale_ for whatever reason, and you decided, ‘Hey, let’s sell a malevolent ghost locked away in a painting. It’s not like he’ll _somehow escape and cause more chaos_!’ Well, guess what—he did! He nearly sent the whole world into anarchy! And then you dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night to bail you out and clean up _your_ mess!”

“Luigi, please, calm down,” Nathan spoke up.

“I have no intention of calming down!” snapped Luigi. “All of this would’ve been put to rest eighteen years ago if this so-called ‘scientist’ had actually been _smart_ for once!”

“Whoa, whoa—that was uncalled for, young man,” said Gadd.

“You shut your f—ing mouth!” shouted Luigi, making both Nathan and Gadd jump.

“Wh—what…?” spluttered Gadd.

“This is all your fault, Elvin Gadd! All of it! And here I am, yet again, risking my life and my sanity and adding on countless more years of therapy to save my loved ones from the mess _you_ made! Vicky, her unborn child, Jacqui, Flynn, Elegant, Melanie, Sophie, Emily, Janelle, Noah, Ryder and Rian, not to mention Nathan’s friend in Sarasaland— _they’re all dead because of you_! Their blood is on your hands as much as it’s on King Boo’s!”

“Luigi, please…” Gadd sounded like he was about to cry. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Well, you did!” spat Luigi. “I thought you cared about me! But obviously, I was wrong! You don’t give a [bleep] about anything or anyone—except your f—ing research! It’s always your research! The value of human life is absolutely _nothing_ to you!”

“Now wait a minute, Luigi…” Nathan tried jumping to Gadd’s defense.

In response, Luigi whirled on Nathan. “Did you know?” he asked.

“Not in so many words…” Nathan began.

“Don’t b.s. me, Nathaniel Turner!” Luigi practically barked. “Did. You. Know?!”

Nathan knew the jig was up. “King Boo confronted us about it earlier, and the Professor made me promise not to tell you.”

Luigi’s mouth fell open upon hearing this.

“I was waiting for the right time,” mumbled Gadd.

There was nasty silence.

And then Luigi exploded.

“God—mit!” he yelled, violently trashing the room he was in. “Everyone I meet is either taking advantage of me or treating me like [bleep]!”

“Luigi, I’m sorry!” Gadd said desperately. “I don’t know what else to say!”

“That’s all you have to say?! ‘Sorry’?!” Luigi railed. “It won’t bring back Flynn, Ryder and Rian, and it won’t bring back Nathan’s friends, his fiancée or his unborn child! If you hadn’t been so careless, then they’d still be alive! But hey, it’s all in the name of science, isn’t it?!”

As Luigi continued to rake Gadd over the coals, Nathan pleaded for calm. Unfortunately, his entreaties fell on deaf ears, as Luigi was too infuriated and too stressed to care anymore. “Orinoco Flow”, by Enya, began playing on Nathan’s music player over Luigi’s rant, and he couldn’t lower the volume or mute it.

“You’ve brought me nothing but terror and trauma, and I’m sick of it!” yelled Luigi. “If anything happens to Mario, Daisy or Peach tonight, then I’m holding you personally responsible! And that goes for you, too, Nathan!”

Nathan was too stunned to formulate a response.

Luigi glared at Gadd. “You are the most _incompetent_ man of science I’ve ever met,” he seethed. “I’ll _never_ forgive you for what you’ve done, and I’ll _never_ speak to you again. Have a nice life.”

Gadd opened his mouth to make one final plea, but Luigi had already signed out of the chat.

All but one of King Boo’s feeds went dark, as well. The one showing Virginia in her hospital bed remained active.

_Thank you, Professor_ , typed King Boo. _I know that must’ve been very difficult for you._

“Well, that’s that,” said Gadd. “That youngster’s trust in me has been completely decimated. Happy now?”

_Not yet. 3:D_

A chorus of giggling and cackling sounded. Nathan and Gadd watched as several Boos floated into Virginia’s hospital room, staring menacingly down at her.

“What are you—what are you doing?” asked Gadd. “I did what you wanted! I told Luigi the truth! I’m begging you—don’t hurt her!”

The Boos flew into all of the machines keeping Virginia alive. Gadd grabbed at his hair a second time as alarms began to sound. The elderly woman’s eyes snapped open, and the duo could see the pain and confusion in them as her body began to thrash wildly on the bed. To their horror—they could faintly hear her desperately struggling for breath.

“Virginia?” bellowed Gadd. “ _Virginia_!”

He and Nathan heard King Boo laughing mirthlessly.

Close to five minutes elapsed before Virginia’s futile struggles ended. As she went limp on the bed, her monitor flatlined, that familiar, droning beep filling the hospital room.

“No!” wailed Gadd. “No, no, _no_!” He exploded in tears.

“Meet Virginia”, by Train, began to play, as if mocking the elderly scientist.

Nathan crossed himself and muttered a prayer.

“You f—ing b—d!” roared Gadd. “You gave me your word!”

_And I kept it. You told Luigi the truth, and I allowed Virginia to live. I just never specified how long I’d allow her to live._

Gadd blubbered. “All for nothing,” he said dully. “It was all for nothing…”

_Indeed. You have no say over who lives or dies anymore. Only *me*._

King Boo’s remaining feed lingered on Virginia’s body before cutting to black.

Gadd’s head fell into his hands, and he began to sob.

“He’s right, you know,” hiccupped Gadd. “I’ve been a lousy mentor. Blind—to what I have. I’ve mocked him. I’ve laughed at him. I’ve made jokes at his expense. I’ve put my interests in the paranormal above human life. I let myself get swayed by that bogus invitation, and now at least twelve people are dead because of it.”

“I’ll give him some time to cool off,” said Nathan, “and then I’ll talk to him.”

“Why bother? He made it clear that he wants nothing to do with me anymore,” said Gadd. “I honestly don’t blame him. He should’ve kicked me to the curb long before then. I leave a big mess everywhere I go.”

“That’s not true,” said Nathan. “You’ve revolutionized modern paranormal science.”

“How? By sucking ghosts into a vacuum cleaner and then shoving them into containment, just because they frightened me when I was a boy?” Gadd poured himself a glass of Scotch as he spoke. “All I’ve done is convince people that all ghosts deserve to be trapped. I’ve disgraced this profession, and I’ve disgraced the lab coat I wear!”

“You made a mistake,” said Nathan.

“A mistake that got all of your friends killed,” said Gadd. “God, I’m so _stupid_! I’m a stupid, doddering old man with stupid dreams who never learns!” He broke into a fresh round of sobbing.

“Professor, c’mon,” Nathan said consolingly. “This is my fault, too. I participated in the tournament hosted by the Boos, and I won this laptop. I’m just as gullible, and I also deserve Luigi’s fury.” He sighed. “If I failed as a friend, then I don’t know if I can be a good King. I’d abdicate the throne, but there’s nobody to abdicate it to. Look, all I’m saying is—we’ll share the blame. And if Luigi doesn’t want to know me anymore, then I’ll main someone else.”

Gadd slugged back his Scotch, wiping at his eyes. “Oh, Nathan,” he said, “I appreciate that you’re trying to make me feel better, but you didn’t put Luigi in danger. _I_ did. And I’ll take full responsibility.” He poured himself another glass.

Nathan looked at the emotionally wrecked Professor before opening Messenger and clicking on Luigi’s profile.

_I know you’re upset and you have every right to be,_ he wrote, _but I think you were way too harsh with the Professor._

He sent the message, not expecting Luigi to answer it.

_I don’t wanna fight with you, Luigi_ , he added. _Please, let me make this up to you. Let the Professor make it up to you. He’s trying to rectify things by guiding you up the hotel, isn’t he?_

After sending that message, Nathan poured himself some more wine and found a playlist to listen to on his Spotify.

Fifteen to twenty minutes went by. Nathan finished his second plate of sandwiches and debated starting on a third. However, something told him to check on Gadd, so he did.

Gadd was swaying slightly in his chair, and a decanter of Scotch was now beside him.

“You seem rather drunk,” observed Nathan.

“Not as drunk as I intend to be,” said Gadd.

“You’ll be no good to Luigi intoxicated,” said Nathan. “C’mon, man. We gotta get it together. We gotta get organized.”

“What’s the use? I let him down, and I let you down.”

“So, that’s it, then? One bump in the road, and you’re giving up? That’s not the Professor Gadd I know.”

“That man is dead,” Gadd said dejectedly. Sardonically raising his glass, he added, “A toast—to our new King.” He downed the drink in one shot and started to pour another.

But Nathan would have none of it. “A driven man who’s studied the paranormal for seventy-eight years and counting does _not_ fold at the slightest whiff of adverse circumstances!” he exclaimed. “Now, quit your silly moping, pull your sorry self together and _snap out of it_!”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’!” Nathan said firmly. “I can’t believe you’re so quick to despair. You’re not the only person who’s lost a loved one to King Boo! What would Virginia think if she saw you feeling sorry for yourself and drowning your sorrows?”

Gadd hesitated.

Softening his voice, Nathan went on, “You just gotta have a little faith, Professor. I’m sure that Luigi didn’t really mean what he said. Maybe after fighting some more ghosts and getting some more elevator buttons, he’ll calm down and be willing to hear you out.”

Gadd appeared to think it over. “I—I guess you’re right,” he said. “But will he forgive me?”

“He’s lost a significant amount of trust in you,” said Nathan, “but give it some time and some hard work, and that trust will be repaired. Helping him save his brother and his unofficial sister-in-law is a good touch-off point.”

Nathan saw Gadd’s face brighten at his words. And then a peal of laughter tore from him.

“All righty—I’ll about do it!” Gadd declared, putting away the decanter of Scotch. “I got us into this, but I’m gonna get us out. I still don’t think I deserve forgiveness, though.”

Nathan spread his hands. “It’s worth a shot,” he said.

“True,” said Gadd, grabbing himself something to eat.

“Are you still in contact with Luigi?” asked Nathan.

“It appears he discarded the Virtual Boo after—you know. But if push comes to shove, I’ll use Messenger or Skype to communicate with him—if he hasn’t blocked me.”

“I don’t think he’d do that,” said Nathan. “He would’ve probably gathered himself before doing that. I mean, it doesn’t look like he’s unfriended me yet. I sent him a few messages a while ago.”

“Hm. That’s a relief,” said Gadd.

“Wanna work a crossword together?” asked Nathan.

“Why not?” replied Gadd. “It’ll make me feel better.”

“Same,” said Nathan.

He logged onto an online crossword website and created a room for him and Gadd. But just as they were about to start the game, they were startled out of their seats by an incoming Skype call notification.

“It’s him,” Nathan said quietly as he saw the familiar avatar. “It’s Luigi.”


	12. Prisoners' Dilemma

**November 1, 2019**

**12:26 a.m.**

“Answer it,” said Gadd.

Nathan’s cursor hovered over the “Accept” button. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Gadd jerked a nod. “Now could be the only time to repair things between us,” he said, a hint of trepidation in his voice.

Nathan clicked “Accept”, and then Luigi’s feed reappeared in the chat.

The first things Nathan and Gadd registered were the sobbing, whimpering breaths and the jittery camera movements. Without a doubt, Luigi had just endured another Hellish encounter with a ghost and appeared mere seconds away from losing it. The second thing they noticed was the _blood_. Dark crimson was in splotches and puddles all over the floor. The room bore signs of a harrowing fight, the furniture knocked over and smears of blood on several objects. Then, the camera swiveled around, revealing Luigi.

“Criminy!” exclaimed Gadd.

“Oh, [bleep]!” added Nathan.

Luigi sat against a wall, breathing heavily, unshed tears in his dilated eyes, his body shaking. But that wasn’t what horrified Gadd and Nathan. The sources of their horrified reactions were the numerous bloody claw marks raked all over Luigi’s face and body, and they looked quite deep, too. Gooigi, seated next to him, looked like he’d been used as a scratching post, as well, but his wounds were gradually healing. Polterpup was audible, as well, barking and growling at unseen threats.

“What…?” Nathan started to ask, only for Luigi to stop him with a gesture.

“I—I need to talk to the Professor for a moment,” said Luigi, his voice shaking. “Could you—could you mute your mic, please?”

Nodding, Nathan obliged.

Gadd and Luigi stared intently at each other.

“Luigi, my boy…” Gadd said quietly. “Everything you said was true. This is all my fault. I’ll take the blame, and I’ll take your fury. The promise of fame blinded me, and many people died tonight because of that. I’ve been selfish, foolish and incompetent—a lousy scientist and a lousier mentor. I—I deserve your contempt, because I’ve brought you nothing but trauma and nightmares.” His voice cracked, and he began to cry. “Oh, God—what have I done?” He wept bitterly.

Luigi was crying, too, the tears washing away the blood on his face.

“Professor,” he managed to say. “I—I can’t think about the horrible things I said to you and not feel sick. And I just want you to know—I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean any of it! I’m—I’m so sorry! My temper got the better of me, and…” He couldn’t finish.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, youngster,” sniffled Gadd. “I deserved every syllable of that.”

“No, you didn’t,” said Luigi. “You may have caused this situation, but it was no excuse for me to explode like that! Just when I needed you the most, I pushed you away from me! Why—why did I do that?” He sobbed.

“Luigi, I will happily strip off my shirt and flagellate myself for you and the world to see,” sobbed Gadd, “if that what it takes to make this right.”

“N—no! Don’t do that!” cried Luigi. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like [bleep], Professor. Honestly, I didn’t.”

“I know,” whispered Gadd.

“This situation’s got us all f—ed up,” spluttered Luigi. “All I could think about was Vicky and her baby being butchered, Jacqui being turned into a mural, Elegant being swatted, Noah being decimated by his own antivirus program, and Flynn, Melanie, Sophie, Janelle, Emily, Ryder and Rian gruesomely dying mere seconds away from safety! And then you told me that you brought King Boo here of your own free will, and I just _lost_ it! I feel so _horrible_!”

“So do I,” said Gadd. “How could I have been so gullible?”

“You’re just as much the victim as my friends and I are, and I should’ve realized that,” said Luigi. “If anyone deserve my rage, then it’s King Boo—and Hellen, too. You know I’ve always been slow to anger, Professor. And whenever I wind up blowing up at somebody like I did at you, I regret it almost instantly, but there’s a side of my brain that keeps trying to justify it, which is why I don’t apologize right away. I have to step aside and cool off before trying to mend fences. Oh, Professor—while selling King Boo’s portrait allowed the Dark Moon incident to happen, at least you rectified it by equipping me with a better Poltergust, and I know that you called me because I was the only person you knew with the proper experience to handle it. And while you kickstarted our current predicament, I can see that you’re trying to make up for putting me and my friends in danger. You made some mistakes, Professor, but don’t we all? We’re only human, you know?”

“Yeah,” said Gadd. “I just can’t believe that I didn’t learn from the Dark Moon debacle. I f—ed up, Luigi. I f—ed up big time. Choosing to kowtow to Hellen instead of listening to my gut is something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my days. God knows that I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”

“I don’t deserve yours, either,” said Luigi. “What I said to you was immature and unacceptable, and I’ll have to live with _that_ for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t hold it against you, because after what you’ve endured up to that point, it was within your rights,” said Gadd. “I will fix what I’ve broken, and I’ll get you out of the mess I made. Somehow, I’ll make this up to you.”

“And I’ll make it up to _you_ ,” vowed Luigi. “It’s gonna be really difficult for me to trust you again, but we’ll make it work.”

“Yes, we will,” said Gadd.

Nathan had been crying unashamedly throughout this entire exchange, and he presently blew his nose into a Puffs tissue before washing his hands and pouring himself some water.

_Okay, Nate_ , messaged Luigi. _U can turn your mic back on._

Nathan did just that.

“Luigi,” he said. “Curse me! It’s my fault that…”

“Nathan, please, let me speak,” said Luigi. “This isn’t your fault. You had no way of knowing that the Boos had something up their sleeve when they invited you to that tournament. They can be very deceptive like that. And while you shouldn’t have kept Gadd’s actions from me, I feel really bad that I took out my frustrations on you. King Boo’s been torturing you as much as he’s been torturing me, and my lashing out at you definitely didn’t help matters. I’m so sorry about the way I acted. It was stupid and wrong, and I don’t wanna lose our friendship.”

“I don’t wanna lose our friendship, either,” said Nathan, “and I’m sorry, too. If I’d declined the invitation to that tournament, my fiancée and my friends would still be alive, and I’d still have a son or daughter on the way. Not to mention that I subjected you to more trauma, since they all died in front of you. And I should’ve told you about Gadd, I admit it. But he made me swear.”

“If I’d declined the invite to this hotel, then we’d all be having a good night’s sleep right now,” Luigi told him.

“Just like me, you had no way of knowing,” Nathan said consolingly. “Ah, Luigi—what’s it gonna take for you to forgive us?”

“What’s it gonna take for you both to forgive _me_?” asked Luigi.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Gadd and Nathan said in unison.

Luigi’s eyes glistened. “I forgive you,” he said. “Both of you. I’ll have to learn to trust you guys again—but I forgive you.”

Nathan felt a great weight lifting from his soul, and he was positive that Gadd felt the same way, too.

“Now that we’ve put that dust-up behind us,” said Nathan, “could you please tell us what happened?”

“Turns out—Hellen has a pet, just like me,” said Luigi, “but while I have a puppy, she has a kitty cat—a kitty cat who can turn into a ferocious spectral cat-beast when the need arises!”

“Yeah—I was gonna say that you look like you’ve been mauled by the Hound of the Baskervilles,” said Nathan.

“Polterkitty was worse than the Hound of the Baskervilles,” said Luigi.

“Polterkitty?” asked Gadd. “That’s the name of Hellen’s pet?”

“Indeed. After the—incident—I continued exploring the penthouse, letting off steam by fighting off some ghosts. I realized that I had to uncover four special keys to unlock the door to Hellen’s office. While I was doing that, Polterkitty attacked me and stole the keys. I easily chased her down and cornered her—but when I flashed her with the Strobulb, she morphed into a ghostly panther! She stalked me throughout the penthouse and leaped out at me from the shadows! The only way I could defend myself was to try and catch her off guard. She had three tails, you see, and I had to vacuum them up before I could subdue and capture her. Polterpup and Gooigi did what they could to help, but…” He indicated the horrific claw slashes covering him.

“Polterkitty used you as a scratching post,” said Gadd. “Are you sure you don’t want to stop at the Lab and let me take a look?”

“Positive,” said Luigi. “I can’t turn around now. Something tells me that I’m almost at the end of this nightmare. But while I was fighting Polterkitty, I realized that I couldn’t afford to remain on bad terms with you. I don’t want my last interactions with you to be acrimonious.”

“Ditto,” said Gadd.

“I’d cooled off significantly after that throwdown,” said Luigi, “although I was still a little raw. Even now, I’m still upset. But I don’t want this hanging over our heads, in case the worst should happen. And as I’ve said before, I feel really s—y after lashing out at people.”

“I got you into this,” said Gadd, “but I’m gonna get you out. Whatever it takes.”

“I’m with you there,” said Nathan, “and after you put King Boo back where he belongs, we’ll have dinner sometime. My treat.”

“Sounds good,” said Luigi.

He took a deep breath, rose to his feet and went on. “I only have to find two more keys, and then I’ll be in Hellen’s office, where Mario is presumably waiting for me.”

“Huh. I thought King Boo would want to keep Mario for himself,” said Nathan.

“Me, too,” said Luigi, “but judging by the way Hellen was looking at Mario when we were checking in, King Boo must’ve caught on and given her to him. That way, he could really hurt both of us—through Peach.” He shuddered. “I can’t imagine what he’s doing to her right now.”

“Then don’t waste your time gabbing with us,” said Gadd. “Hop to it!”

Something seemed to dawn on Luigi. “Virginia…” He said. “She—he didn’t spare her after all, did he?”

Gadd dropped his eyes. “No,” he mournfully replied. “He didn’t.”

“I’m really sorry, Professor,” said Luigi. “About everything.”

“Me, too,” said Gadd.

“On a lighter note, I’m glad we talked things out,” said Luigi. “King Boo’s wrong. An empire toppled from within _can_ rise again, stronger than ever.”

“Give ’em Hell, Luigi,” said Nathan.

Luigi pocketed his phone, once again plunging his Skype feed into blueness.

Nathan exhaled, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head. He, Luigi and Gadd weren’t quite out of the danger zone yet, but even so, he allowed a tiny peace to wing its way through his soul.

Mere moments later, the peace would be permanently shattered.

_Darn. I really thought that revelation would be the end of your fellowship._

“Yes, well—you thought wrong,” Gadd said crisply.

“Luigi’s coming for you, and he’s gonna make you pay,” added Nathan.

_Not if I have anything to say about it._

“You’re gonna lose,” snapped Gadd. “You always do. It’s your nature. Your overconfidence will be your undoing.”

_That’s what *you* think. But unlike you, I learn from my mistakes._

“At least I own up to them,” Gadd said hotly.

_The cunning warrior attacks neither body nor mind._

“Professor…” warned Nathan.

_It’s the heart, gentlemen. First, I’ll attack his heart. And the rest will be easy from there._

“D—mit,” hissed Gadd. “We gotta warn Luigi!”

King Boo’s feed came back to life, showing another area of Hellen’s penthouse.

“It’s a…” murmured Gadd. “It’s a hallway.”

They saw Luigi, trailed by his two companions, round a corner and approach the camera feed.

“What the…?” Luigi asked softly as he scrutinized the feed.

“Have you obtained the last of the keys?” asked Gadd.

“Yeah,” replied Luigi. “It was quicker than I thought, because while Gooigi and I were looking for one of them, Polterpup fetched the last one by himself.” He smiled. “He’s such a dependable little puppy.”

“So—you’re on your way to the office?” asked Nathan.

“I am. It’s blocked by a door shaped like King Boo.” Luigi shuddered. “There’s a lot of King Boo-related artwork and imagery in here. She _really_ loves him. Hey, Professor—do me a favor and house them in the same containment unit. That way, they’ll be together forever.”

Nathan and Gadd snickered.

“Anyway, the door to her office is in King Boo’s likeness, and there are four keyholes on the tongue. When I saw those keyholes, I knew that the four keys were hidden somewhere in the penthouse. Hellen didn’t make it easy for me—there were lasers everywhere, and I told you about making Polterkitty’s acquaintance. But I did it. I got them. And Hellen had better start to say her prayers.”

_Not so fast, Luigi_ , typed King Boo. _I’d hate to trample on your recent reconciliation with the gamer and the geezer, but I have something special in store for you._

Luigi gasped as those gated barriers slammed down around him and the penthouse lights dimmed.

_Now, it’s REALLY time to party._

Nathan, Gadd and Luigi hardly dared to breathe.

“What are you gonna do?” Luigi asked.

_You’ll see. 3:D_

Nathan heard Polterpup once again barking urgently. Luigi gathered his puppy into his arms and tried to soothe him.

“Show him no weakness,” said Gadd. “No fear.”

Luigi nodded vigorously.

Another feed popped up, showing a program called Drillbit running.

“What in the Inferno are you up to, King Boo?” asked Luigi.

The program finished running, and the feed began to play a video of the Mario Bros, cuddling together and relaxing after a long day. They’d obviously returned from a rescue mission, judging by their bruised and bandaged state.

Luigi had his eyes glued to the screen as he hugged Polterpup close. The paranormal puppy was nigh inconsolable now, as if sensing his human’s distress.

“Hey, Luigi,” video!Mario was saying.

“Hm?” asked video!Luigi.

“I shouldn’t be telling you, this, but I’ve had a recurring dream—or rather, a recurring nightmare,” whispered video!Mario.

Video!Luigi listened intently.

“It’s a nightmare I’ve had for a very long time now,” video!Mario went on, “and in it—Koopa—does something terrible.”

“What does he do?” asked video!Luigi.

“He—tries to make me—choose,” said video!Mario, “between you and Peachy. And…” He trailed off, tears streaming down his face.

“I know you’d find a way to save both of us,” said video!Luigi.

“That’s—that’s the problem,” said video!Mario. “What if there isn’t a way? How can he expect me to…?”

“Because he wants to hurt you,” said video!Luigi. “You can’t let him do that, Mario—you just can’t. You have to stand up and say, ‘I’m not giving you any power over me’. And God knows—I’d rather die than have that turtle use me against you.”

“I’ll always put my family first,” said video!Mario, “and Peachy understands that. But still—if I left either of you to that turtle’s mercy, then I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Bro,” said video!Luigi. “Bro, look at me.”

Video!Mario obliged.

“I can certainly hold my own against him,” said video!Luigi. “I’m confident that it’ll never get to that point. But if it does—I can take whatever he sees fit to dish out at me. I’m not someone’s kid brother anymore.”

“Luigi…”

“Mario—it’s okay. I don’t want you to think you have to choose between me and Peach. That’s—that’s not right.”

The video rewound itself.

“I don’t want you to think you have to choose…”

Rewind.

“I don’t want you to think you have to choose…”

Rewind.

“I don’t want you to think you have to choose…”

The video cut to black.

There was ominous silence.

“Okay,” Nathan said finally. “You’re a f—ing creep, or—what do you want?”

The feed once again became active, showing none other than—

“M—M—Mario…!” whispered Luigi, reaching out a shaky hand.

The elder Mario brother, trapped in a portrait frame for the third time in his life, looked positively horrified. His face was moderately bruised and cut, his right eye was swelling up, and there were bloody bite marks on his arms and upper body. A violet aura encircled the portrait, which appeared to be levitating against a starry backdrop.

“W—wait,” said Nathan. “That’s not Hellen’s office. That’s the hotel’s roof. Which could only mean—uh, KB? I—I don’t like where this is going.”

Seconds later, another video feed popped up, showing an auburn-haired woman wearing an orange negligee, relaxing in her room without a care in the world.

Luigi’s lips began to tremble as he stared at the woman, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Luigi,” Gadd said slowly. “Is that…?”

Luigi nodded, and in a barely audible voice, he rasped out, “That’s Princess Daisy.”

King Boo’s face once again appeared on the Skype chat, his monstrous gaze locked completely on Luigi.

And then he did the unthinkable.

_CHOOSE 3:D_

“Wha…?” uttered Luigi.

The Master of Illusions cackled as he initiated yet another countdown from one minute.

Luigi’s entire body quivered as he shook his head in disbelief. “N—no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!!” he shouted.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be s—ing me!” snapped Nathan.

“For C—st’s sake, man—haven’t you tortured the poor youngster enough?!” roared Gadd.

King Boo muted both of their microphones in response.

Luigi whimpered and sobbed. “Please!” he cried. “She doesn’t even know who you are; I never told her about you! Do what you want to me; I don’t care—but just _leave her out of this!_ ”

King Boo ignored him. _CHOOSE 3:D_

“Don’t hurt them, I’m begging you! I’ll do anything you ask of me! I’ll surrender myself to you right here and now, just—please! Please—I’ll do anything!” Luigi was completely inconsolable, tears racing down his face as he sobbed explosively.

“No—no—NO!” he pleaded. “Oh—no! I can’t—I can’t! Please, don’t make me do this! For God’s sake, what more do you want from me?!”

_CHOOSE 3:D_

A few more Boos joined their King on the Skype chat, drinking in the sight of Luigi freaking out as he pleaded fruitlessly for the lives of the two people he cared about most in the world. His head fell into his hands, deep sobs heaving his frame, as the countdown relentlessly went on. King Boo wore an infuriating smirk on his face, his violet eyes dilated with pleasure as he studied Luigi’s every move and listened to his every sob and entreaty. He cackled, and his brethren cackled along with him.

_CHOOSE 3:D_

But then, Luigi’s breathing steadied, his sobs quieted, and he composed himself, narrowing his reddened eyes at King Boo.

“No,” he defied as the countdown approached zero. “No. I _won’t_.”

_?_

“I’m not gonna let you do this,” spat Luigi. “I’m not gonna let you control me. So [bleep] off.”

King Boo cackled.

_So be it._

Nathan, Luigi and Gadd watched as multitudes of Boos floated into Daisy’s room and accosted her.

“ _NOOOOOOO!!_ ” screamed Luigi as he watched his beloved attempting to fight off her assailants while they dragged her into the bathroom. “ _Daisy_!”

At that moment, the feed went to static.

“I’m sorry, Princess—I’m so sorry!” sniffled Luigi.

Cackling.

On the other feed, Mario’s painting was lowered onto what appeared to be a tarp, and then the camera panned over to a large white container with a hazard symbol on it. 

“N—n—no…” Luigi croaked out.

Gadd had his hands pressed over his mouth, for as a man of science, he knew that the symbol identified whatever was in that container as some sort of corrosive acid.

“Luigi—don’t look!” he said, his voice slightly cracking. “Just—don’t look, okay?”

But it was no use. Luigi was frozen in his seat, unable to tear his gaze away as the camera switched to a high-angle view and the Boos slowly tipped over the container, its contents gushing out onto his elder brother’s portrait.

Luigi let out a bloodcurdling scream, as if he was the one having corrosive acid poured onto him. Polterpup whined in sympathy. Nathan rubbed his jaw, and Gadd crossed himself.

“No!” Luigi cried out. “God—mit!”

“You fool,” Nathan said to King Boo. “You d—n fool.”

The feed zoomed back in, so that everyone could see Mario’s portrait dissolve and melt into an unrecognizable puddle of goop. King Boo laughed evilly the whole time.

A .jpg attachment was posted to the chat.

“N—nobody open that,” said Gadd.

But once again, King Boo took control of the cursor and clicked on the attachment.

It was a photo of Daisy, her wrists bound to the shower head. Her nude body was peppered with bloody slashes and bite marks, and there was an absolute mess below the belt—just a gaping and shredded hole down there, which ensured that Daisy’s final moments had been in absolute agony. Her eyes were wide open and dimmed, drying blood painting her chin. And there were three Boos on either side of her, posing for the camera.

“Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, n…” Luigi was practically hyperventilating at this point. Gooigi and Polterpup were doing their best to comfort him, but understandably, their efforts did no good.

“I’m so sorry, lad,” Gadd said sorrowfully. “I’m so sorry.”

“Daisy—Mario—I didn’t even get a chance…” whispered Luigi.

He fell to his knees and sobbed.

King Boo and his minions just laughed and laughed.

Nathan clenched his fists. “Have you no shame?”

_Nope, and I’m proud of it. Whatever shame I had flew out the window after the first time Luigi humiliated me._

“Here you go again, blaming Luigi for everything!” said Gadd. “When are you going to realize that you brought all of this on yourself?”

_When will *he* realize that he can’t save his friends and that he should give up right now?_

“Ha! Fat chance!” Gadd retorted.

_No matter. I can always dream up more ways to have fun with my favorite man in green. Right now, I believe an intermission is in order, but we’ll see each other again soon. 3:D_

King Boo’s feed, along with those of his brethren, cut to black.

There was no other sound except for Luigi’s pain-filled sobs.


	13. E. Gadd's Ghostly Conundrum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for references to sexual assault.

**November 1, 2019**

**12:42 a.m.**

Nathan had his head bowed in respect for his main’s devastating loss, listening to the heart-wrenching sobs coming from the other man’s feed. He heard Gooigi saying something, followed by Polterpup whimpering, and prayed that Luigi hadn’t lost the will to fight. There were still people who needed him right now.

“That idiot,” muttered Gadd. “That f—ing idiot…”

Both the scientist and the gamer nearly jumped out of their seats when a seemingly innocuous ad for “free live cams” began to play. Nathan quickly recognized some of the video clips from the hidden files he’d viewed earlier, particularly Peach and Daisy topless and Luigi shirtless. Quickly, he dismissed the ad.

“We’re not getting out of this,” said Nathan. “As long as we’re sitting around doing nothing, we’re not getting out of this mess. I have no choice. I gotta head over and break the news of Princess Daisy’s death. Sarasaland will declare a state of emergency, and it’s government will know what to do.”

“For all I know, King Boo could sic his minions on the royal line of succession, just to stick it to Luigi,” huffed Gadd.

“The sooner I report this, the less likely that will happen,” said Nathan.

The two of them heard Luigi’s sobs quiet and watched him slowly get to his feet, wiping his tears.

“Luigi,” said Nathan, “if you wanna talk about it, then Gadd and I are here.”

“Thank you, Nate,” said Luigi, “but Peach is still trapped in here, and after I free her, I need to rescue the gamers King Boo has captive. I really…” There was a brief choke in his voice. “I really don’t have time to grieve right now. Oh, Gooigi…” He turned to his gooey doppelganger. “…at least, I still have you.”

“Bro…” Gooigi uttered softly, drawing Luigi into his arms.

“Stay with me, Gooigi,” said Luigi.

“I’m not going anywhere,” promised Gooigi. “I’m not letting you go.”

“Stay with me…”

The two ghost hunters stood there, wrapped in a comforting embrace. Then, Luigi stepped back slightly, the pair gazing into each other’s eyes. Gooigi cupped Luigi’s cheek with one hand, softly stroking it with a gooey thumb. And then—he leaned forward and pressed his gooey lips to Luigi’s, blushing a little as he did.

Luigi was blushing, too, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he melted into the kiss, returning it, pulling Gooigi a little closer so he could deepen it. Their lips blotted together again and again and again and again in slow, all-consuming and lingering kisses. Nathan looked on, his mouth agape and his face fire-engine red.

Gadd looked flustered, too. “I mentioned that certain situations would require teamwork,” he said, “but _that’s_ not the kind of teamwork I meant.”

Gooigi and Luigi shared one final kiss before they separated, gasping.

“Gooigi…” breathed Luigi.

“I…” murmured Gooigi. “I shouldn’t have…”

“I shouldn’t have, either,” added Luigi.

“I just—I feel as if I’ve been asleep for almost a year and a half, and then suddenly—I’m awake,” explained Gooigi. “You make me feel like a person, Luigi. A person, and not just Goo. But I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be,” said Luigi. “I feel like we’ve—bonded—during this whole mess.”

“It wasn’t the right time,” sighed Gooigi. “Daisy…”

“I know. I wasn’t thinking straight, either. We’ll stop King Boo and save the others, and then we’ll talk about this. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Nathan was still blushing. “I—did _not_ see that coming,” he said.

“Neither did I,” said Gadd. “I was kinda joking when I said that I shipped you two. But it’s time for you two to re-focus. Strong paranormal signals are headed for your location as we speak.”

Luigi nodded and held out his hand to Gooigi. Gooigi grabbed it, and then they shook before whirling around to face the ghosts arriving on the scene.

The feed went dark just as Luigi released the first Strobulb charge.

“The airport’s still open,” Nathan said to Gadd. “With any luck, I’ll be able to book a flight to the city where the Last Resort is located, and then get help from the local police.”

“If they’re not already in the Boos’ pockets,” said Gadd. “Are you heading out now?”

“Yeah. I have two laptops. One to use at home and the other for travel.”

“All right. Leave your current laptop on. We don’t want to further endanger Luigi by signing out.”

“Okay,” said Nathan. “The bus stop isn’t far from here, and it’s only a short ride to the airport. I’ll give you a buzz when I’m situated.”

Gadd nodded. “Go. Hurry,” he said.

The scientist watched Nathan grab his things and then dash out the door. Then, he stared hard at his computer. “You’re there, aren’t you?” he asked.

_Yes, I am. And I’m not going anywhere. 3:D_

“Well, guess what?” Gadd asked crisply. “I’ve been recording. I recorded the whole thing, starting from when I was rescued from my painting. You should’ve dealt with Nathan and his friends. They were perfectly willing to play by your rules to ensure Luigi’s safety, more than their own. Even after what you did to Vicky and her unborn baby, they were willing to forego vengeance, turn the other cheek and move on with their lives, not interfering with your scheme.” The elderly professor’s voice turned dangerous. “But _that_ is not what _I’m_ gonna do.”

He pushed back his swivel chair, grabbed a piece of paper and then scooted back toward the computer. “Do you see this?” he asked vehemently. “Do you know what this is? This is coordinates. IP addresses. Correspondences between you and your little fan club. Financial transactions. Ingoing and outgoing phone calls, text messages, emails. Social media activity. This is hard evidence of your egregious plot to trap Luigi and his friends, including me, in this hotel Hellhole. This is everywhere the laptop you gave to Nathan has been. And this will lead the authorities straight to that youngster and every single soul you’re holding captive.” Gadd set down the paper and jabbed an angry finger at the computer screen. “You are _finished_ , do you hear me?! _Finished_!”

_The only person I see who’s finished is you._

“Try. Me,” growled Gadd.

“Professor?” Luigi’s voice spoke up. “I can hear you. Who were you yelling at just now?” He sounded _extremely_ out of breath.

“I didn’t mean to distract you, sonny,” said Gadd. “I was just giving _him_ a piece of my mind.”

“He has nothing to lose now,” warned Luigi’s voice. “Don’t make him any angrier.”

A ghost laughed.

“Talk to you later,” Luigi said hurriedly before the battle resumed.

“Don’t make him any angrier,” Gadd murmured as he fixed himself a hot dog. “Well, he’s got _me_ riled up, so he’s not the only angry one here.”

He added a bag of Lay’s to complete the small meal and then settled down to eat it.

First, he ate the hot dog, the mustard dribbling between the bun and smearing his mouth and fingers. It was a very flavorful hot dog, and he felt calmer and more collected once he’d finished eating it. Maybe that was all he needed—some food in his stomach. He’d spent all of this time pestering Luigi about it, after all.

Licking the mustard off his fingers, Gadd next opened his bag of Lay’s and started popping the chips into his mouth, quietly crunching on them. Just as he’d finished the bag, he saw activity on Luigi’s feed as the young man fished his phone out of his pocket.

A couple of wet wipes made short work of the crumbs on his fingers, and then Gadd disposed of his trash before checking in on his mentee.

Luigi was in front of the door he’d mentioned earlier, hand-in-hand with Gooigi. He looked more beaten up than ever, but he was still on his feet. His bruised face was hard, and his mouth was clenched. Gadd saw no hope for King Boo and his allies in that facial expression.

“You made it?” asked Gadd.

“Yes, I did. I just got finished capturing the last of Hellen’s lackeys. Now, the only thing between me and her is this door. And after I defeat her, King Boo’s next.”

“You mentioned that there could be someone in the penthouse in need of rescue,” said Gadd.

“I think—Hellen’s keeping Peach somewhere in her office,” nodded Luigi. Some of the ice left his face as he mused, “It’s gonna be difficult telling her the news. I feel like I’ve let her down already.”

“She’ll understand,” said Gadd. “She’ll know you did your best.”

“But that b—d tried to make me choose, and I said ‘no’,” said Luigi.

“You stood up to him and refused to play along, just like you told Mario to do in that video,” said Gadd. “He probably would’ve killed them both either way.”

“You’re right—he could’ve,” mused Luigi. “It still doesn’t stop me from feeling awful, though.”

“We’ll all sit down and talk about it after you defeat King Boo once and for all,” said Gadd. “All righty?”

“All right,” sighed Luigi. “Wait—where’d Nathan go?”

“He…” Gadd was cut off by his email notification chime. “Oh, Lord.”

“What is it?”

“That scoundrel—he’s sending me something,” said Gadd.

“Just ignore it,” said Luigi. “He wants to get to you like he got to me.”

“He’s getting to me _by_ getting to you,” huffed Gadd. “At this point, what more can he do to me?”

Gadd signed into his email account and clicked on the unread email, only to almost immediately wish he hadn’t.

“God Almighty,” he breathed. “Where did you…? J—s, Mary and Joseph! This is utterly f—ed up!”

“What is it?” asked Luigi. “What did he send you?”

Gadd stared, boggle-eyed, at the attachments King Boo had emailed to him. “I—I gotta call Nathan,” he said in a gasping voice. “He needs to hear about this, posthaste!”

“Professor, what has he done now?” Luigi wanted to know.

“That’s not relevant at the moment,” said Gadd. “Your main focus should be on defeating Hellen and saving Peach.”

“Oh, great. Now you’re keeping something else from me?” There was a plethora of emotions on Luigi’s face. “How can I trust you again if you keep doing that?”

Gadd closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the memory of Luigi’s earlier tirade flashing across his mind.

“It’s—it’s about Nathan and his friends,” he said finally. “That’s why I need to call him immediately.”

Gadd’s fingers flew across his keyboard as he rang up Nathan.

Nathan’s bus had just arrived at the Easton Kingdom Airport, and the gamer prince had just strode into the terminal when his phone notified him of an incoming Skype call.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Nathan, listen to me very carefully,” said Gadd. “King Boo—he’s been planning this for longer than we thought!”

“What do you mean?” asked Nathan.

“He didn’t just wake up one day and decide, ‘Oh, I’m gonna terrorize Nathan and his friends on Skype because they like Luigi’,” explained Gadd. “You and the others were on his hit list from the beginning! He’s had you guys followed for at least two years! The tournament the Boos hosted was only part of the trick!”

“Professor, I’m standing in line right now, and I don’t want to hold things up,” said Nathan. “Just—give me the short version, all right?”

“You and your friends didn’t inadvertently stumble upon this mess!” Gadd said urgently. “It was all part of King Boo’s plan! He _wanted_ you to get involved! You played right into his hands!”

“ _Dio_ ,” breathed Luigi. “He was trapping Nathan and co. along with me and my friends.”

“Yes, he was! Nathan and his friends did everything King Boo wanted them to do! They reached out to you via Messenger, they copied the files on the computer Nathan ‘won’, and they notified Princess Daisy of the situation, allowing the Boos to track her down! And now—King Boo’s sending me photos of him, Hellen and his subjects with Nathan and his friends Photoshopped onto them! This—it’s a frame-up. He’s gonna make it look like Nathan and the people he was Skyping with tonight were complicit in this business.”

“Oh, no,” breathed Nathan. “That psychopath is going for broke tonight. Aw, man—can’t this line move any faster?!”

“Hold on—what are you doing at the airport?” asked Luigi. “Where are you headed?”

“I’ll explain later,” said Nathan. “You need to confront Hellen _right now_.”

“Wha—if—if King Boo’s trying to frame you for this, then the airport’s the last place you wanna be!” objected Luigi. “It’s only gonna make you look guiltier, because it looks like you’re trying to flee!”

“I left before Gadd found out about all of this,” said Nathan. “Okay, the line’s beginning to move a little faster, so we’ll have to pick up our conversation later.”

“Nathan…!” exclaimed Luigi.

But Nathan had already muted the call.

Luigi and Gadd exchanged alarmed looks.

“Go! Go!” shouted the Professor.

Luigi didn’t need to be asked twice, inserting the four keys into the door’s slots and watching the huge door slide open.

“Godspeed, Luigi,” said Gadd.

Luigi gave Gadd a confident thumbs-up before blue replaced his Skype feed. The scientist heard his mentee take a deep breath and then stride into the office, where Hellen no doubt waited.

Back at the airport, Nathan’s turn mercifully arrived, and he stood at the counter while the ticketing agent checked the availability for a flight to the city where the Last Resort was located.

“You’re in luck, there’s still room,” said the ticketing agent, eliciting a relieved sigh from Nathan, “and with all of your eligible discounts applied, your fare comes out to $175.31. Would you like me to book you the cabin?”

“Please,” said Nathan.

“Are you checking any baggage?”

“No. Thank you.”

“Please, make yourself comfortable in our lounge. We’ll let you know when it’s time to board.”

Nathan quickly found the aforementioned lounge and was happy to hear that there was an open bar. He wasted no time getting settled in with a few drinks, wishing that all of this would soon reveal itself as nothing more than a horrible dream.

But alas, that wasn’t to be.

After his third drink, Nathan set up his other laptop, booted it up and signed into his Skype and Messenger accounts. Then, he plugged in his earbuds and selected a random music playlist to play on low while he dialed up Luigi and Gadd.

Luigi’s feed was the first to connect, just in time for Nathan to hear his main spit out, “Get away from her, you _[bleep]_!”

Nathan’s mouth nearly hit the table. If Luigi used _that_ kind of language, especially toward a woman, then things had _definitely_ gone to [bleep].

Gadd’s feed then connected, the scientist putting a finger to his lip as he, too, listened in.

“Well, well, well,” they heard a woman’s voice, presumably Hellen’s, purr. “I honestly didn’t think you’d have it in you. A scaredy-cat like you, making it _this_ far?” A soft laugh. “My God, you’re just _full_ of surprises!”

“And so are you,” they heard Luigi growl in reply, the tone of his voice sending chills up Nathan’s backside. “You weren’t content with just helping King Boo seal my friends in portrait frames. No—you had to wait until I rescued them, and then have the Boos pounce on them and make me watch them die gruesomely _just_ as I was about to lead them to safety.”

“Easy, youngster,” whispered Gadd. “Easy.”

“And after I’ve endured floor after floor of Hell, I walk in here to find you— _assaulting_ —my unofficial sister-in-law! Are you f—ing kidding me?!”

Nathan hearkened back to the brief back-and-forth he’d had with Hellen on BooSpace, when he’d temporarily assumed King Boo’s guise. Quickly, he ordered another drink.

“Assaulting her? No,” he heard Hellen purr. “Providing her with some much-needed company after the tragic loss of her beloved? Yes. And by the way, King Boo and I took turns f—ing her before we trapped her in her portrait. She loved it. Every minute. She cried out like a teenager experiencing her first time. She arched her back and begged us for more.”

Both Nathan’s and Gadd’s faces were slate gray.

“Afterward, she thanked us for f—ing her. She said that she knew now how it felt to be with a pair of ghosts in that fashion. A pair of ghosts who could make her…”

“ _That’s enough_!!” Luigi sharply broke in, making Nathan jump and almost spill his drink.

Gadd had a hand pressed to his chest as he gasped for breath.

_L needs to take it easy,_ messaged Nathan.

_Ikr_ , replied Gadd.

_Hellen wants him to get p—ed off, so he’ll be unable to focus and she can easily beat him_ , Nathan typed.

_Exactly_ , Gadd typed back.

Gadd then addressed his mentee. “Luigi—Luigi—calm down,” he said. “Don’t engage. Don’t react. You’re only giving her exactly what she wants.”

If Luigi heard the Professor, then he gave no indication.

“All I wanted was a vacation,” Nathan and Gadd heard him say, “but instead, I get the worst night of my life. I should’ve known your invitation was too good to be true!”

The gamer and the scientist exchanged a look as Hellen chuckled.

“I’m sorry—did I hit a nerve just now?” they heard her ask. “Don’t worry—I’m just giving you a taste of what you’ve put me through tonight.”

“What _I’ve_ put _you_ through tonight?!” Luigi sounded incredulous.

“Yes, Luigi. Look at what you’ve done! You’ve ransacked my hotel, you’ve captured my staff with that strange vacuum of yours, you’ve gotten blood all over my décor and furniture—and worst of all—worst of all—you’ve catnapped my sweetie, my little darling—my precious Polterkitty!”

“Your ‘little darling’ almost _mauled me to death_!” they heard Luigi shoot back, “and she rejected Polterpup when he offered to play with her! She hurt my puppy’s feelings!”

“Well, good!” they heard Hellen yell.

“You miss your Polterkitty, don’t you? Well, don’t worry—you’ll be reunited with her _very_ soon.”

“Luigi, for God’s sake!” hissed Nathan. “You’re starting to sound like _him_!”

He heard Luigi breathing heavily and knew that something within him was bound to snap at any moment.

“This isn’t how it was supposed to happen!” they heard Hellen gripe.

“ _Really_? And how did you _think_ it was gonna happen?!” they heard Luigi hotly demand of her. “Did you think I was gonna just _sit_ there and let you and King Boo make off with the six people who truly give a [bleep] about me?!”

In response, Hellen let out a guttural cry of rage.

“J—s! Holy [bleep]!” they heard Luigi exclaim.

There was a _thud_ , and Luigi’s phone tumbled out of his pocket, allowing Gadd and Nathan to see Hellen’s office.

“Luigi? What’s going on?” asked Nathan.

He recoiled in his seat as an ancient, decrepit and demonic-looking face was thrust into the camera feed, eyes blood-red, blue hair disheveled and disordered.

“Oh!” Nathan cried out, his eyes going wide at the abomination before him. “Oh, holy—is _that_ Hellen?! Holy f—ing God!”

Hellen screamed again as she smashed her desk to bits and stabbed an accusatory finger in Luigi’s direction.

“You weren’t supposed to run away from King Boo like a filthy coward!” she bellowed.

“ _What the Hell else was I supposed to do?!_ ” Nathan and Gadd heard Luigi scream at the hotel owner.

“All of this could’ve been avoided if you’d just let yourself get caught in that painting!” Hellen screamed back.

Her hateful gaze then fell on Nathan. “And _you_!” she spat. “You weren’t supposed to try and be a hero!”

“Hey!” Nathan heard Luigi bark. “You leave Nathan out of this!”

“Why should I?” sneered Hellen. “If he and his gamer friends had minded their own business, and if you’d been a man and accepted your fate, then King Boo would’ve showered me and my fan club with praise for our brilliant trap!”

“Wow, what a selfish [bleep],” muttered Nathan.

“But instead—instead…” Hellen fulminated. “I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF YOU!”

“ _And I lost everything because of YOU!_ ” Luigi screamed out, and Nathan and Gadd saw Luigi jab his own accusing finger at Hellen. “You know something, Hellen? You and King Boo are _perfect_ for each other! You’re just as depraved as him, maybe more! Look at what _you’ve_ done! You’ve put me through one nightmare after another, you’ve traumatized and tormented me, you’ve trapped and tortured my loved ones, you’ve coldly watched as your _beloved_ King had at least fourteen people killed, and the cherry on this f—ing sundae?! You stand there and have the _gall_ to make this about you and try to paint yourself as the victim! _Who in the Inferno do you think you are?!_ ”

“Well, if you’d gone quietly into your portrait, then maybe your loved ones and Nathan’s gamer buddies would still be alive,” Hellen said sadistically.

Nathan was beside himself. “You gotta be s—ing me,” he murmured.

Gadd shook his head in disgust.

And they heard Luigi gasp with rage and saw a bluish-green glow materialize.

Seconds later, a blast of electricity was launched at Hellen, followed by another and another and another.

“Whoa!” yelled Nathan.

“Luigi! Luigi, stop!” exclaimed Gadd. “You have to stay in control!”

The barrage of electricity stopped, and Hellen emerged more or less unscathed, save for the scorch marks on her dress.

“That was my favorite dress,” she said. “Now I’m _really_ mad!”

“You think that was bad?” Nathan heard Luigi retort. “Sweetheart, you haven’t seen _anything_ yet!”

Hellen clenched her fists and snarled into the camera feed. Suddenly, her hands went to her face, and then something seemed to dawn on her. She whipped out a compact mirror, opened it, and used a powder puff to apply large amounts of makeup to her face. A cloud of powder obscured the camera for a few seconds, and when it receded, Hellen once again looked like the beautiful woman Nathan had seen in that Facebook post.

“The makeup hides her true appearance,” murmured Nathan.

Deep breathing filled the office as both Hellen and Luigi composed themselves. Nathan heard Polterpup whine softly, followed by Gooigi saying something.

Hellen cleared her throat and smoothed out her dress. “Well, then,” she said softly. “It looks like I’ll have to deal with you myself. Then, I’ll deal with Nathan, and after that—King Boo will trust me once more and recognize how useful I can be to him.”

“You won’t get your hands on Nathan,” vowed Luigi, and Nathan noticed that his main’s voice was a bit raspy from shouting and screaming earlier. “Not on _my_ watch.”

“Then stop me, if you can,” challenged Hellen. “Shall we begin, Luigi? Do me a favor and _try_ to make this enjoyable, won’t you?”

There was the sound of a door clanking shut, and then a tall, white, turret-like structure rose from the ground.

The camera feed swung around so that Luigi was in the shot. His cap was a bit askew, and his hair was in slight disarray. Fire was in his eyes, and his face was a little red.

“Talk to you guys in a minute,” he said. “I gotta deal with this [bleep].”

He put his phone back into his pocket, and then the sounds of a heated battle filled the Skype call.

“This is a total cluster-[bleep],” said Nathan.

“Say that again,” said Gadd.

“Do you see Peach anywhere?” asked Nathan.

“No—my guess is that Hellen has her stashed in a secret area in the office,” Gadd told him.

“Luigi needs to stay focused,” said Nathan. “He can rescue Peach now and worry about getting p—ed at Hellen later.”

“I was _just_ about to say that,” said Gadd. “After the stunt King Boo pulled with Mario and Daisy, I don’t know if he’s thinking straight anymore. After he’s finished with Hellen, I’m gonna have a talk with him about this.”

“Yeah, well—good luck with that,” said Nathan.

He knocked back his drink and ordered yet another one.

“Hey,” said the bartender. “I saw on the news that Vicky and her family were killed in a freak accident at their Halloween social. How are you holding up?”

Nathan sighed. “Not good. I was looking forward to our wedding.” His head snapped up. “Accident?”

“That’s what the authorities said. You—think it’s something else? Their enemies?”

“I’d rather not talk about it right now,” said Nathan.

“I’m here when you’re ready, okay?” The bartender patted Nathan on the back.

Nathan smiled wanly. “Thanks.”

Once the bartender left, Nathan spoke to Gadd.

“You’re not gonna believe this,” he said. “The Boos tried to make the deaths of Vicky and her family look like an accident.”

“Or maybe they pulled some strings or issued threats—or both,” said Gadd. “I don’t know if the story will hold, though. I’m sure the neighbors heard the screams, like we did.”

“We can only pray that someone comes forward with the truth,” said Nathan, “and that someone will believe them.”

“Now that would be a miracle, wouldn’t it?” asked Gadd.

“Yeah,” replied Nathan, and the two shared a laugh.

His attention was suddenly drawn to the feed showing his living room. The door opened, and some Boos floated inside, carrying a disturbingly human-shaped bundle.

“What are you—what are you doing?” asked Nathan.

The Boos waved wryly at the camera before gently laying the bundle onto the sofa and flying out of the camera’s range.

“Hello?” called Nathan. “Hello, hello?”

Cackling was his sole response.

“Oh, no,” said Gadd. “Nathan, I think they’re framing you for kidnapping now.”

“Kidnapping?!” Nathan repeated in shock. “Why…?”

He was interrupted by a feminine grunt and the sound of something striking flesh, followed by a sharp cry of pain. Then, there was a sharp hiss, along with several more sounds of impact, and finally the sound of something metal hitting the floor.

It was coming from Luigi’s feed.

Nathan heard Luigi shout a wordless battle cry and run forward before releasing a Strobulb flash. Then, he listened to the vacuum whirring, Hellen struggling, and finally his main grunting with effort as he commenced to slam her repeatedly against the ground, holding nothing back.

“Whoo! Now _that’s_ what I’m talking about!” crowed Nathan.

Off of the gazes of everyone else in the lounge, he meekly said, “Sorry. That’s my favorite scene from my favorite action movie.”

One last resounding slam rang out, and then the sounds of scuffling became audible.

“What’s he doing?” asked Nathan.

He gasped when he heard Luigi’s voice, barking orders.

“You’re gonna do as I say, or I swear to God, you’re going into the Poltergust right here and now,” he was saying.

“Luigi?” Gadd spoke up. “I—I don’t like where this is going.”

More scuffling, more orders being shouted. The sound of fingers on a keyboard. And then an incoming Skype call from—

“Hellen?” Nathan and Gadd asked in unison.

“Answer it,” Luigi told them.

“What exactly is your plan here?” asked Nathan.

“Answer it!”

“Okay, all right!” said Nathan, clicking “Accept”.

Hellen’s feed appeared, showing her large, spacious office, one wall entirely overtaken by security monitors. And there was Hellen, looking sufficiently beat up, once again sporting her ghastly appearance, struggling against—something. Next to her was Luigi, undiluted malice all over his bruised, bloodied face, chest heaving. He had Hellen’s ghostly tail caught inside the vacuum, while his free hand clutched the hotel owner’s fur stole tightly in his fist, yanking it unmercifully.

“What’s going on?” asked Nathan.

Luigi ignored him, addressing his nemesis. “Hi,” he said in a low but angry voice. “Can you hear me?”

_Yes._

“Good. Because you’re gonna listen very f—ing closely to what I have to say!” The volume of Luigi’s voice jumped up at a frightening rate.

_I’m listening._

“The tables have turned, King Boo,” spat Luigi, yanking on Hellen’s stole harder and harder. “I have your fan club president—just a couple of tugs, and into the Poltergust she goes!” To underscore his point, he grabbed his vacuum’s handle and pulled harshly on it, forcing Hellen slightly inside.

Nathan’s heart pounded rapidly. He’d never seen this side of Luigi before.

“So—unless you want Hellen sending you fan letters from inside Professor Gadd’s containment unit until Hell freezes over, I strongly suggest that you _leave—my friends—alone_!”

_What are you proposing, Luigi?_

“I’m not proposing anything,” snapped Luigi. “I’m demanding.”

“Demanding?” whispered Nathan.

_Name your terms, then._

“Princess Peach goes free! And you’d better not think it’s okay to go after Nathan or the Professor, either!”

_Hmm. My fan club president, at your mercy. What’s a King to do?_

“It’s either that—or neither of you will ever see the light of day again!”

_Wow. Very persuasive. But I have a counterproposal. Instead of freeing the Princess, how about I send you a Smash player’s d—k cheese? Then, do what you want with the [bleep]. I don’t care. She’s useless to me now. But I *did* enjoy having this conversation with you_.

Hellen looked crestfallen.

“J—s,” breathed Nathan. “King Boo doesn’t give a rat’s [bleep] about his own allies.”

Seemingly translating despair into anger, Hellen broke free of the Poltergust, and her feed went to black.

“I don’t know about you,” said Nathan, “but I don’t wanna see Luigi like that ever again.”

“Seconded,” said Gadd.

They fell silent as the harsh battle between Luigi and Hellen resumed.

“Why did he even think that would work, anyway?” whispered Nathan.

“It’s just like I said before,” sighed Gadd. “He’s not thinking straight anymore. King Boo’s got him too emotionally riled up.”

Nathan heard a voice speak over the terminal’s PA system and removed one of his earbuds to listen in.

The voice announced that his flight was delayed.

“That’s just swell,” huffed Nathan when he passed the news to Gadd.

“It’s probably just some air traffic,” Gadd said reassuringly.

“I sure hope so,” huffed Nathan.

Polterpup’s urgent barking sounded from Luigi’s feed, letting Nathan know that he was attempting to aid his human.

“Get her, puppy!” Nathan heard Luigi cheer. “Get her!”

“I wish all pets were as loyal as Polterpup,” mused Nathan.

Polterpup growled, there were sounds of a struggle, and then—

Hellen screamed out a horrible curse—

There was a sickening _thump_ —

And Polterpup _whimpered_ —

Nathan’s eyes met Gadd’s, the two of them sharing the same look of dawning horror as they heard Polterpup getting _beaten_ , Hellen continuing to call the poor puppy vile names.

Then, they heard Luigi suck in his breath, his enraged yell, his running footsteps. The flash of the Strobulb as he stunned Hellen, the vacuum suctioning her in, and the heavy slams as Luigi began inflicting punishment on his opponent.

“Don’t!”

_Slam._

“You!”

_Slam_.

“F—ing!”

_Slam_.

“Touch!”

_Slam_.

“My!”

_Slam_.

“Polterpup!”

_Slam. Slam. Slam. Slam. SLAM._

The slamming was abruptly cut off by the sound of something hard connecting. Breath left Luigi in a rush, and then Nathan heard him getting struck by something again—and again—and again.

“Tell me,” he heard Hellen say. “Which is more painful?” _Thwack._ “A?” _Thwack._ “Or B?” _Thwack._ “Forehand?” _Thwack_. “Or backhand?” _Thwack._

Several more blows landed before Nathan mercifully heard Luigi use Burst to escape the beating, followed by his Suction Shot to grab onto whatever the heck Hellen was beating him with. And then there was the satisfying sound of Hellen being repeatedly bashed against the ground.

“In my eyes, if you hurt a puppy, then you’re the scum of the Earth!” growled Nathan.

“Indeed!” snapped Gadd.

The slamming stopped, and then the duo heard Luigi speaking softly to Polterpup, presumably comforting him and checking him for injuries.

“I want you to stay here, okay?” they heard him say. “I know you wanna help me, but I can’t risk her hurting you like that.”

A whine of protest.

“That mirror of hers isn’t gonna stop me from saving Peach. But she was really going to town on you. Don’t leave this spot—or you’re not getting extra doggie treats for a week.”

“Dude—don’t threaten your dog,” said Nathan. “He’s only trying to help.”

“I know,” breathed Luigi’s voice, “but when I saw her beating him savagely with that mirror…”

“She’s using a mirror as a weapon?” asked Nathan.

“Yes, along with her security lasers, which are making it difficult for me to dodge her attacks,” explained Luigi. “The lasers’ switches are below me, and Gooigi’s down there, trying to disable them.”

“Look—all I’m saying is—Polterpup wants to look out for you the way you look out for him,” said Nathan.

“He tried to yank the mirror away from Hellen—and she went ballistic,” said Luigi. “I can’t risk that happening again!”

“Luigi…” Nathan started to say.

An electric _hum_ stopped him.

“Gotta go!” Luigi said hastily, and then the sounds of battle started back up.

“Lasers,” said Nathan. “She’s definitely not messing around.”

He and Gadd waited in suspenseful silence as Luigi’s fight against Hellen reached its apex.

Hefty blows were landed from both sides, and Nathan jumped each time he heard the sound of a body tumbling to the ground. He could also hear Luigi coughing and breathing raggedly at several intervals, along with Polterpup woofing restlessly. The sounds blended together into one maddening miasma, and soon, Nathan couldn’t take it anymore and muted the volume.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He wound up taking a little nap.

The voice over the PA system jolted him awake, notifying him and everyone else that his flight was delayed further.

“Nathan?” asked Gadd. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” replied Nathan, stretching his arms. “Did I miss anything?”

“I think he did it,” Gadd told him. “He beat Hellen. Peach is safe now.”

“Luigi, is that true?” asked Nathan.

He heard deep, sobbing breaths coming from Luigi’s feed, along with whines from Polterpup.

“Luigi…?”

The ghost-wrangler withdrew his phone from his pocket, allowing Nathan and Gadd to see him. He was seated against a wall, his green cap in his lap, his hair plastered against his forehead, sweat dripping off his face, chest heaving. There were burns on him from what Nathan presumed were the lasers, and fresh bruises and lacerations covered him. Polterpup had his head on Luigi’s knee, and the young man’s free hand sifted absentmindedly through the pup’s “fur”.

“Hey,” Luigi said breathily.

“Hey, man, talk to me,” said Nathan.

“I’m sorry you guys had to listen to that,” said Luigi.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Nathan told him.

“You and the Professor were right,” sighed Luigi. “I shouldn’t have let Hellen get to me like that. But it’s been a night of Hell, and I’m nearly at the end of my rope.”

“We know,” Gadd spoke up, “but can you hold on until you’ve rescued Peach and the other gamers?”

“I can most certainly try,” replied Luigi.

There was a squelching noise as Gooigi emerged from a nearby pipe and plopped himself down beside Luigi, draping an arm around him.

“You okay?” asked Gooigi.

Luigi leaned his head against Gooigi’s shoulder in response. “No,” he replied.

“You really freaked us out,” Gooigi went on.

Luigi nodded. “I let my temper overpower me—again,” he murmured.

“S’okay, Luigi,” said Gooigi, drawing his companion in for a hug. “S’okay. I’m here. I got you.”

Luigi returned the embrace, and the two sat there for a moment or two, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Finally, Luigi drew a shaky breath. “All right,” he said. “Time to free Peach and get out of here.”

Luigi and Gooigi stood up, the former’s feed tracking their movements as they located the Mushroom Princess. Nathan and Gadd watched Luigi pass his phone to Gooigi, the camera swiveling around so that they, too, could see Peach.

Her portrait was located in a secret room with a canopy bed, just as Gadd had suspected. She was clad in a thin nightie, lipstick marks on her skin, her hair in disorder. Nathan and Gadd heard Luigi gasp at the sight before seeing the Dark-Light Device’s rainbow beam shine onto the painting.

Peach gracefully glided out, her bare feet hardly making a sound as she alighted on the floor. Chill bumps were soon visible on her skin, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly with cold.

“Oh, my God…” she gasped.

“Princess?” Luigi spoke up. “It’s okay. I’m right here.”

He walked over and took her in her arms, holding her close.

“You’re hurt,” Peach said softly.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Luigi.

“You’re bleeding…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Luigi said again.

The camera shifted as Gooigi fetched a nearby silk robe and draped it over Peach’s shoulders.

“Thank you,” intoned Peach.

She cinched the robe’s belt around her waist and tied it securely before smoothing her hair.

“Your Grace?” Nathan spoke up. “Can you hear me?”

Peach’s eyes flickered toward the camera. “Yes,” she replied, a hint of sorrow in her dulcet voice. “You must be Nathan.”

“I am.”

“Luigi told me a little about you,” Peach went on. “He told me that you main him in the Smash tournament.”

“That’s correct.”

Peach sighed. “I know you didn’t sign on for this, Nathan,” she said.

“Neither did you. But everything’s gonna be okay. Luigi’s gonna get you to safety, lay the smackdown on King Boo and make everything all right.”

“It’s not fair,” Peach told him, “what he’s done to you. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of some petty grudge.”

“Try telling him that,” Nathan said bitterly.

“I guess I should’ve suspected something, too,” Peach told him. “When we first arrived, the hotel staff was behaving quite—strangely.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” said Nathan. “Hellen broke King Boo out a year ago without anyone knowing.”

Peach blinked. “Mario…”

“I…” stammered Nathan. “He…”

Nathan heard Luigi trying not to cry.

“They—they told me what happened,” Peach went on. “It’s true, isn’t it? Mario—they got him, didn’t they?”

Nathan heaved a sigh. “I—I wish I could lie to you, Your Grace.”

“I’m so sorry, Princess,” sniffled Luigi. “King Boo tried to make me choose—and I couldn’t! I _wouldn’t_!”

“Choose? Between Mario and…?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, no. Are you telling me Daisy didn’t make it, either?”

“She didn’t…”

Peach bowed her head, mourning her best friend and her beloved.

“But you’re safe now,” said Luigi. “You’re safe, and we’re gonna make it through together, okay?”

“Okay,” Peach said softly.

“Professor Gadd’s here, and he’s set up a lab and command center on the basement floor,” said Luigi. “I need to get you down there.”

“All right,” said Peach.

The camera followed Luigi as he rummaged through a drawer and grabbed a pair of socks, which he handed to Peach. He sat beside her as she slipped the socks onto her feet, rubbing her back comfortingly.

“Ready to go?” he asked when she was finished.

“Yeah,” replied Peach.

They stood up and walked out of the room, hand-in-hand.

“I’ll have some hot beverages waiting,” said Gadd, “and I’ll grab Peach some proper clothes.”

“Great,” said Luigi. “See you soon.”

Gooigi gave the phone back to Luigi, who pocketed it, denim once again taking up his feed.

“At least one person was saved tonight,” said Nathan. “Now, all that remains is for Luigi to confront King Boo and send him into the Poltergust once and for all.”

_I don’t think so._

“I warned you that you were gonna lose,” said Gadd.

_If you think this has a happy ending, then you haven’t been paying attention._

King Boo’s feed rematerialized, showing what looked like a home theater with a large movie screen. In the distance, Nathan and Gadd heard a door open and shut, and then Luigi and Peach walked into the frame.

“Oh, no…” said Gadd.

Peach was the first to notice the camera, stopping Luigi and pointing it out to him. All of the color drained from the latter’s face, and he brandished the Poltergust.

“What’s wrong?” asked Peach.

“Princess—run,” Luigi tersely commanded. “Get inside the elevator, and press B1. That’s where Gadd’s lab is located. Once you’re there, make a right, walk down the hall, and make another right when you see a door with a picture of a car above it. Just run. Hurry!”

Peach obeyed, but just before she could call the elevator, those pink gates slammed down in front of it.

“Luigi…” she uttered as ghostly laughter filled the room.

He was at her side in one leap. “Don’t panic,” he said. “I’m gonna get you out of this, so help me God.”

_Oh, we’ll see. 3:D_

Microseconds later, millions upon millions of ghosts surrounded Luigi and Peach—and attacked!

Luigi counterattacked fiercely, defending Peach with everything he had left, but it soon became clear that he was fighting a losing battle. Peach did what she could, too, brandishing a frying pan and swinging it at any ghost trying to grab her, but it only provided her with a temporary reprieve. With every ghost Luigi captured, at least five more seemed to appear. Nathan had his hands clenched in his lap as he watched, while Gadd rapidly muttered prayers under his breath. King Boo cackled through it all, and his subjects giggled along with him.

_Your situation is hopeless. Surrender now._

“Yeah, when pigs fly!” snapped Nathan.

Flashes of white in King Boo’s feed told Nathan that Boos were now in the penthouse suite, which spelled trouble for Luigi and Peach. And still, the former kept on fighting, desperate to at least bring _someone_ out of danger, punches, swipes and whatnot from the ghosts knocking him down but not keeping him down as he struggled back up and doubled, tripled, and quadrupled his efforts.

Now, more than ever, Nathan wished he could jump through his laptop screen and help Luigi kick some paranormal [bleep]. And he was positive Gadd felt the same.

Things went from bad to worse as the Boos joined in the assault. Here, Luigi fought his hardest and pushed the Poltergust to its absolute limit—to no avail. He and Peach found themselves buffeted and barreled into by ghosts and Boos alike, leaving them covered in awful bruises and gashes. Luigi shouted for Peach to stay close to him, and Gooigi did what he could to cover them both, but it was hopeless. All so hopeless. The Boos and ghosts dogpiled the trio, and Nathan and Gadd could hear their screams and cries, hoping against hope.

Peach screamed, struggling against the ghosts holding her. Luigi, having been forced to one knee, endeavored to rise to help her, only for a ghost’s hammy fist to knock him back down. Blood streamed from his mouth. A group of Boos seized him then, grabbing his arms and wrenching them behind his back.

_Hold him nice and tight. I want him to see this._

The Boos then turned on Peach, easily divesting her of the robe and her nightie. Their appendages rubbed and groped all over her as Luigi yelled at them to stop. Poor Peach looked like she was about to throw up, but the Boos didn’t care. They were grouped around her, licking her most intimate areas and giggling as she screamed. Luigi, along with Nathan and Gadd, had no choice but to watch.

“God, please…” uttered Nathan.

_*I* am your God, remember?_

After several minutes of this Hell, the Boos dragged Peach away as the Boos restraining Luigi held him back. Only the sounds of her screams remained.

Laughing, the Boos released Luigi and ordered the ghosts to “deal with him” before floating off after their brethren. The first thing Luigi did upon regrouping was dash after them, only for a ghost to grab him by his overall strap and fling him into the group of other ghosts. The sounds of a tussle mixed in with Peach’s distant screams, a nightmarish cacophony. There was Luigi, stunning, heaving and slamming ghosts into the floor and each other. Pain and a host of other things were in his eyes, but he kept going. Gooigi tried to reach his companion, but the ghosts were just too much.

A second feed popped onto the Skype chat, showing Peach in what appeared to be a walk-in shower, dangling from the ceiling with her hands chained above her head. Her hair was loose and dangling over her shoulders, her eyes were blue-black with barely-repressed panic and she was breathing jerkily, wriggling against her bonds.

_Don’t struggle, Princess. It’s only gonna make things worse._

“Stay calm, Princess!” cried Nathan. “Luigi’s gonna get you out of this!”

_No, he’s not._

“Nathan, what’s happening?” asked Luigi, still fighting the ghosts.

“The Boos have the Princess chained up in a shower!” reported Nathan.

“The Master Bathroom?” asked Luigi.

“Looks like it!” said Gadd.

Peach shrieked as the shower head turned on, spraying her nude body with water. Another spout of water bombarded her from above, fully soaking her.

“Luigi, you need to hurry!” Gadd frantically exclaimed. “I think they’re gonna drown her!”

_Close. I have something else in mind._

Nathan saw a circle of sprinklers activate just below Peach’s waist, sending out water in continuous jets. Peach gasped, her body jolting a little.

_Just a side order of pleasure to go along with the pain._

Gadd turned a light shade of green.

“Luigi…” said Nathan.

“I’m kinda busy at the moment,” Luigi replied in an acutely stressed tone.

A punch from a ghost practically knocked him out of the frame, and Nathan could now only hear the increasingly heated struggle.

Meanwhile, on the other feed, Peach’s breaths started to slacken as her lips trembled. Her chained hands clenched into fists, and her cheeks flushed.

“Wha…?” she started to ask, only for another deep gasp to taper off her question.

Her lashes fluttered, her eyes nearly rolling backward. Giggling and cackling seemed to come from everywhere.

_What’s the matter, Princess? Feeling a little *twinge* down there? Here, let me help you…_

By now, Peach’s brow was crinkled, shudders running along her hips, her eyes staring unseeingly ahead. Even more showers, sprinklers and jets activated around her body, the running water fanning up and down or left and right.

_Just drop those inhibitions, and let your mind go blank. That shouldn’t be hard._

Peach’s head lolled back, a breathy moan escaping her.

On the feed showing the home theater, Nathan glimpsed the ghosts flying away, looking accomplished, and automatically assumed the worst.

“Luigi—are you still with us?” he asked.

“Yes,” Luigi’s voice weakly replied.

The long-suffering ghost wrangler limped back into the shot, bloodied and visibly in pain, before practically collapsing in front of the laptop.

“ _Dio_ ,” he said. “What are they doing to her?”

“Whatever it is, it involves water,” Nathan replied.

Those pink barriers remained, trapping Luigi inside the home theater.

“Princess,” he gasped, reaching out a hand towards the screen. “Peach…”

“Luigi?” Peach managed to say.

“I’m sorry—I was supposed to protect you…”

“This isn’t your fault,” said Peach. “You have to—ahhh—you have to stop blaming yourself. It’s what King Boo wants…”

She bit back another moan, her hips jerking.

“You did the best you could, and you fought your hardest. For that—I thank you.”

“This isn’t over yet,” said Luigi. “It’s not over until _we_ decide it is. I’m gonna find a way to get you out of there. Just—stay positive, okay? Just hold on. Hold on.”

“I will. I swear to you, I will.”

Peach squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip, letting loose with a quiet whine which morphed into a long moan. When she opened her eyes, she looked to be in a different time—a different place.

“Luigi…” she breathed.

“I’m right here, Princess.”

“Could you—could you please do me a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Two years ago—Mario asked me a very important question, do you remember?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Unfortunately, he asked that question in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now…” Peach paused, and there was a slight crack in her voice which she quickly shoved away. “…now, I’ve had time to think, and—now, I finally have an answer to that question. And the answer is—yes.”

“Oh, Peach…” murmured Luigi.

“Just—tell Mario, okay? Tell him I said ‘yes’. Tell him that I wanna spend the rest of my life with him. Tell him that we can make it work, one way or another.”

“I’ll tell him,” promised Luigi. “I’ll tell him as soon as I can, okay? He’ll be so overjoyed that you’ve accepted his proposal. Can you see him, Peach? Can you see him, smiling and jumping for joy and saying, ‘Wah-hoo!’? Because you’ve made him the happiest plumber on Earth.”

Peach giggled, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“I’m gonna be with him soon,” she said happily.

“Yes,” nodded Luigi. “You are.”

He hiccupped, tears jumping out of his eyes.

“The two of you—are gonna have—such a beautiful wedding…”

He sobbed, and Nathan started choking up, as well.

“Don’t cry, Luigi,” Peach said softly. “Please, don’t cry.”

“I can’t help it,” spluttered Luigi, “because I know it’s not gonna happen! I’m so sorry, Peach! I fought those ghosts tooth and nail, but it just wasn’t enough! I let you down, I let my bro down, I let Flynn, Ryder and Rian down…”

“Luigi, look at me,” said Peach.

Wiping his tears, Luigi obliged.

“It’s okay,” she said soothingly. “It’s okay, Luigi. It’s okay. Listen—some…”

The feed cut to black before Peach could finish.

_Okay, that’s quite enough of that._

Nathan, Gadd and Luigi could only listen to the sounds coming from King Boo’s feed. Deep gasps, languid sighs, quiet moans. Running, spraying water. High-pitched giggles and throaty cackling. The moaning, gasping and sighing built up to a crescendo, and just as it did—there was a low hum of electricity.

The trio had just enough time to exchange a horrified look before the sound of electric surges entered their ears.

And Peach screamed.

Her screams went on for what seemed like forever.

The vile King and his brethren laughed and laughed and laughed.

Nathan’s head was spinning by the time the horrible sounds finally stopped.

He heard Luigi gag, and he saw him lunge out of the camera’s frame and empty his guts.

King Boo sent yet another .jpg attachment to the chat.

Luigi composed himself and straightened. “No…” he whispered.

King Boo then opened the attachment, the others recoiling at what they saw.

It was Peach, her nude body hanging limply from her wrists inside the shower cubicle. Her alabaster skin was marked with horrific, severe burns, and some of them appeared to be smoking, too. Blood trickled from her nose and between her lips, and a mixture of agony and ecstasy was forevermore on her still face.

Luigi opened his mouth to say something, but no words would come out.

_At least she went out with a big bang_ , typed King Boo.

“You—you…” spluttered Gadd. “You b—d!”

_I’d watch the name-calling if I were you, Professor._

“Well, it’s true!” charged Gadd. “You _are_ a b—d! A sadistic, psychopathic, sick, twisted, spiteful, hateful, f—ing piece of [bleep] b—d!”

In response, the lights in his Lab shut off.

Gadd swore loudly, jumping a full foot out of his swivel chair.

_I warned you, old man. Now, we *really* gonna have some fun…_

“No! BS!” Luigi practically bellowed. “You can’t have him, you hear me?! _You can’t have him!_ ”

_Stop me._

“Professor—find somewhere to hide!” Nathan instructed. “I’m gonna get help!”

“Hurry!” shouted Gadd.

As Luigi did his best to comfort his mentor, Nathan logged onto ChatRoulette, accepted their policy and confirmed that he was over 18 years old. Then, he waited for someone to join the chat room.

A purple-spotted Toad soon appeared. “Hello?” he spoke.

“Hi, can you hear me?” asked Nathan.

“Loud and clear.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” breathed Nathan. “I’m glad they matched you with me. Something—something’s happened.”

“My God—you look like you’ve been put through the wringer,” said the Toad. “Is everything okay?”

“No,” said Nathan. “That’s why I’m on here. Maybe—you can help.”

“What’s going on?”

“I bring extremely grave news for the Mushroom Kingdom,” Nathan said intently. “Your Mushroom Princess—Peach—is dead, along with your hero, Super Mario.”

“ _What_?”

“King Boo lured them, along with Professor Elvin Gadd and three Toad retainers, into a trap. The invitation to the Last Resort—it was a lure. Luigi managed to evade capture and has spent the night fighting his way to the top of the hotel. But then—King Boo decided to torture him…”

“Oh, my God…”

“He waited until Luigi rescued the Toad retainers, and then had his minions ambush them and make Luigi watch as the people he just rescued were brutally killed,” Nathan explained. “In addition, more Boos tracked down Princess Daisy in Sarasaland. And then King Boo tried to make Luigi—choose.”

“Between Daisy and Mario?” balked Purple Toad.

Nathan nodded. “Luigi stood up to King Boo, though; he refused to be controlled by that monster. So he killed them both. Mario, who was still sealed in a portrait, had gallons of corrosive acid poured all over him, and Daisy was accosted in her castle, dragged into her bathroom, and—you don’t want to know.”

Purple Toad looked ill.

“I’m so sorry to tell you this. Toadsworth and whoever’s next in the royal line of succession should be roused and notified immediately.”

“Don’t worry,” said Purple Toad. “Toadsworth will know what to do. Is there news on everyone else?”

“I’m currently Skyping with Luigi and Professor Gadd. The former is currently on the top floor of the hotel, and the latter is inside the Lab on the basement floor. And right now, the Professor’s being targeted for an attack.”

“How about you? Are you okay?”

“No. King Boo has also spent the night attacking me and my friends because we’re Luigi’s fans,” said Nathan. “He practically eviscerated my fiancée and unborn child, along with her mother, Princess Éclair of the Waffle Kingdom, and quite possibly her entire royal court. One friend was turned into a mural, another was set up to be gunned down by the police, a third friend was forced to watch her sister and niece die before she and her fiancée were hurled to their deaths and a fourth was literally imprisoned in cyberspace and attacked by his own antivirus program. Not only that, he’s ordered all of Luigi’s fans and Smash mains to be trapped in portraits for all eternity.”

“Oh, geez…”

“It gets worse. King Boo found the Professor’s high-school sweetheart, Virginia, who was elderly, infirm and hospitalized, and forced him to reveal that he’d willingly brought him to the hotel after falling for an accomplice’s manipulations by using her as collateral, just like he’s used Luigi as collateral to make us play by his rules. Professor Gadd fessed up in exchange for Virginia’s life—only for King Boo to have her killed anyway. Here—here’s the Last Resort’s address.” He typed in the address he’d obtained earlier. “You gotta call the police or someone who can help—pronto!”

Purple Toad nodded, grabbed his phone and dialed 9-1-1.

“Yes, hi,” he spoke to the operator. “I’m located in Toad Town, and there’s a young man on the Internet who says that King Boo is wreaking havoc. He’s had several people killed and countless others held captive because they’re associated with Luigi. I’m sorry to say that Mario, Princess Peach and Princess Daisy are among the fatalities.”

Nathan checked back in with Gadd and Luigi. “Someone’s calling the authorities right now,” he said soothingly.

“Yes, Luigi and Professor Gadd are still alive,” Purple Toad was saying, “but they need assistance right away. Their current location is…” He gave the address Nathan provided. “I take it that your average response time is between 10 and 15 minutes. We’re gonna need you to do better than that.”

“Are they coming?” asked Nathan.

Purple Toad nodded. “They’re on their way now.”

“Thank you!”

“God be with us,” said Purple Toad before Nathan closed ChatRoulette.

“The cavalry is on their way,” Nathan reported. “It’s almost over, all right? It’s almost over.”

“God bless you, Nathaniel Turner,” breathed Luigi. “God bless you!”

Gadd nodded. “We can only pray they reach us before…”

His feed started to glitch.

“Oh—no…” choked out Luigi. “ _Professore_ …!”

“Professor, just run!” shouted Nathan. “Just—get out of there!”

Abruptly, Gadd’s feed disconnected.

“Oh, please, no!” Luigi exclaimed, snatching at his hair.

“Luigi, calm down,” said Nathan. “Help is coming, all right?”

_That f—ing geezer is beyond help._

Then, Nathan received a notification that Professor Gadd was now sharing his screen with him and Luigi. A window popped up to show a blank Microsoft Word document.

“What is he doing?” Luigi fearfully asked.

As if in answer, words began appearing on the document, very _unsettling_ words—

**_To Whom It May Concern,_ **

**_Tonight, my insatiable ambition and greed got no less than fifteen innocent people killed and ruined my mentee’s life._ **

**_I can’t face it anymore._ **

**_It’s a fitting penance that I now become what I’ve spent all of my life hunting. Now, I’ll know what it feels like, constantly running away from a whirring red vacuum cleaner._ **

**_Hell would be slightly more preferable to this dreadful fate, but beggars can’t be choosers, can they?_ **

**_I’m sorry. Truly, I am._ **

**_Sincerely,_ **

**_Professor Elvin Gadd_ **

Klaxons sounded in Nathan’s head as he read the note once—twice—thrice. He knew at once that King Boo and his ilk were behind this, as did Luigi.

“What did you do?” Luigi demanded of his archnemesis. “ _What in the Inferno did you do?!_ ”

King Boo responded by sending a .jpeg attachment.

Reluctantly, Nathan clicked on it—and almost fainted.

Luigi screamed in anguish.

Professor Elvin Gadd lay on the floor of his lab, his clothes disheveled and his glasses askew, thick froth seeping from the corners of his mouth, his eyes wide open, his skin pale. A beaker lay centimeters from his outstretched hand, allowing Nathan to deduce that the Boos had either made Gadd drink its contents or forced it down his throat, most likely the latter.

Either way, a grand total of six important people in Luigi’s life were now dead by King Boo’s hands. Now, he was truly alone.

And so was Nathan.

“They’re gone,” he heard Luigi rasp out. “They’re all gone…”

A leaden silence hung over the Skype chat.

Until—

In a sudden burst of rage, Luigi shoved the laptop in the home theater to the floor, spitting out a curse as he did. As soon as the laptop hit the floor, the feed cut to black.

“Whoa, Luigi! Take it easy!” Nathan exclaimed.

Luigi ignored him, continuing to scream and take out his grief on the home theater. Nathan winced and cringed at the sound of objects being flung against walls and onto the floor, shattering on impact. This was followed by a round of explosive sobbing, Luigi uttering “No” repeatedly.

“Luigi, please,” Nathan tried again. “There are still people you need to save.”

“Just so King Boo can kill them in front of me?” retorted Luigi. “Can you see? He’s won already!”

_About time you figured that out, Luigi. Now if you’d kindly stay where you are, I’ll have your very own portrait frame ready for you shortly._

This comment seemed to snap Luigi out of it. “No—no—no,” he said. “I can’t think like that. King Boo hasn’t won—he just has the upper hand. But he’d better enjoy it while it lasts.”

The pink barriers had long since lifted from the home theater.

“All right, here’s the plan,” said Nathan. “Once my plane arrives, I’m gonna fly over there, and we’ll fight that S.O.B together.”

“You’re not actually considering…?” Luigi began.

“What other choice do I have?” challenged Nathan. “I’m not gonna let you die in there, Luigi!”

“I’m not gonna die,” said Luigi. “Not tonight.”

“You’re my main and my best friend,” Nathan told him, “and as such, I need to have your back. At the very least, you shouldn’t face King Boo alone.”

“I have Polterpup and Gooigi,” said Luigi. “Rushing over to help me puts the future of the Easton Kingdom at risk! You’re next in line to the throne, remember?”

Nathan huffed. “I watched King Boo and his subjects pick off my fiancée, my unborn child and several of my closest friends—you think I want to be his next victim?!”

“You still have a future to look forward to,” Luigi shot back. “ _I_ don’t!”

Nathan hesitated. “I—I don’t follow…”

The plumber reached into his pocket, pulled out a small, black box and opened it.

“God in Heaven,” murmured Nathan. “It’s—a ring. You were gonna—oh, J—s, Luigi.”

“Something told me that we were ready,” said Luigi, “but the Boos—they took her from me, and they took my bro, my sis and my friends from me!” He let out a sob.

“Luigi, I’m so sorry,” said Nathan. “Wait—your sis? Do you mean…?”

“Yes,” sniffled Luigi. “Peach had become a sister-in-law to me. But now…”

“Luigi—you did everything you could,” said Nathan. “I mean, what more could you have done?”

“I should’ve declined that stupid invitation to begin with. Why did I have to fall for this trick again?!”

“You had no way of knowing, and neither did the Professor,” offered Nathan. “And maybe if you’d smelled something, King Boo would’ve found another way to target you guys. Now, I’m telling you for the last time—you’ve got to let me help!”

“I’m sorry, Nate,” hiccupped Luigi, “but this is something I have to do on my own.”

Nathan’s head fell into his hands.

_You suggested one-on-one combat earlier, if I’m not mistaken_ , typed King Boo.

“Don’t take the bait, Luigi,” warned Nathan, but Luigi was operating on raw emotion now.

_Well, I’ve reconsidered. I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. 3:D_

“Luigi, can’t you just think about this for a second?” pleaded Nathan. “He’s gonna kill you!”

“I’m already dead,” Luigi replied.

_You and me, up on the roof. I’ll be waiting for you. 3:D_

“Fine,” Luigi said in a hard voice. “See you soon.”

“Luigi…!” exclaimed Nathan, but the man in green had already disconnected from the chat.

To add insult to injury, the PA system once again crackled to life, announcing that Nathan’s flight had been delayed for at least another two hours.

The chances of this having a happy ending had grown _alarmingly_ slim.


	14. Luigi's Last Stand

**November 1, 2019**

**1:30 a.m.**

The Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom was nearly at his wit’s end. He sat there, staring at the image of himself on the still-active Skype call, the image of his living room next to him, moving only to order a drink or a snack. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do or who to call. Anyone who tried to help could be subjected to the Boos’ wrath.

After Nathan ordered a slice of pizza, King Boo’s feed once again became visible, showing the King grinning like a little boy on Christmas Day.

“Why the long face, Nathan?” asked the King. “It’ll all be over soon.”

Nathan gave him the finger and kept eating his pizza slice.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Nate,” cooed King Boo. “For what it’s worth, this isn’t really personal. You just associated with the wrong person on the wrong night.”

“It kinda feels personal,” groused Nathan.

“Hm. Well, to each his own,” said King Boo. “Listen, I’d love to stay and chat with you, but I have a date with destiny. And my date has finally arrived.”

Cackling, he signed out, leaving Nathan alone.

Suddenly, Nathan’s phone vibrated, making him jump. Pulling out the phone, he discovered that it was only a reminder for some function he could hardly remember now. Relieved, Nathan slumped back in the chair and opened Messenger. He clicked on Luigi’s icon and initiated what he knew would be their last communication.

_Godspeed, Luigi. And thank you. For everything._

 _You’re welcome_ , replied Luigi. _I know you’ll be a good King someday._

Nathan smiled. _Thx. Now go get him!_

_Like I said b4, Vicky and her baby will receive justice,_ typed Luigi, _and so will the rest of our friends, my bro, my sis, my mentor and my fiancée._

 _I have faith in you_ , typed Nathan.

_And that’s good enough,_ Luigi typed back. _I’ll be seeing you, Nate._

_I’ll be seeing you, Luigi._

Nathan closed the Messenger tab and sat back, staring into space. All he could do now was sip his drink, eat his food and pray to any deity who could hear him for a miracle.

His prayer wasn’t answered.

The TVs in the lounge area displayed a “Breaking News” banner, and everyone in the airport dropped what they were doing to crowd around them.

“Thank you for joining us,” said the anchor. “I’m Tim Bridges. The Mushroom Kingdom is holding its breath as a major crisis continues to unfold. Let’s go to Kimberly Duncan for more information.”

The TVs then showed an image of the Last Resort, where chaos abounded. Police barriers had been put up, red and blue lights flashed, sirens wailed, and many first responders crowded the scene. A raven-haired reporter stood in the center of it all, microphone in hand as more representatives of the press set up their equipment.

“Thank you, Tim,” said the reporter, Kim. “Approximately 45 minutes ago, the authorities were called to this hotel, known as the Last Resort, and came across this startling sight.” The camera zoomed in toward the hotel’s rooftop, where the sounds of a heated battle were just barely audible. “A young man, fighting for his life against the Master of Illusions himself—King Boo.”

Everyone in the airport began to whisper among themselves.

“All attempts so far to assist this young man have been thwarted by King Boo’s minions,” Kim went on.

“We’re now going to show you the footage of these attempts,” said Tim, “but I must warn you—this video may be difficult to watch.”

In the video, armed and armored officers rushed toward the Last Resort, only for the Boos to pounce on them in droves. The camera jittered and swung about wildly, offering glimpses of responding officers being shoved into portraits of many shapes and sizes.

“That won’t do anything,” said one patron seated near Nathan, referring to the officers’ weapons.

“Compounding the danger are the appearances of more ghosts,” said Kim. “It is unknown at this time whether these ghosts are local to this area. However, authorities have warned that these ghosts are powerful and extremely dangerous.”

More recorded footage played of the cavalry coming under attack by slim, blue ghosts, red, boxy ghosts, purple, lanky ghosts and gold, thin ghosts. Officers shouted desperately as the ghosts maniacally laughed.

“Do you have any information about the man on the rooftop?” asked Tim.

Kim nodded. “The young man has been identified as Luigi Mario, the younger twin brother of the Mushroom Kingdom’s protector, Mario ‘Jumpman’ Mario.”

“Do you think that Mario may be imprisoned somewhere in the hotel?”

“Earlier reports confirm that Mario, along with Princess Peach and three of her Toad Retainers, have been tragically killed by King Boo and his minions. We can only assume that Toadsworth has enacted contingency protocols at this time. Back to you, Tim.”

“Thank you, Kim. We will continue to keep you updated on this developing situation. In the meantime, all residents of the Mushroom Kingdom are encouraged to stay in their homes and tune in to their local TV and radio outlets.”

The situation began impacting the airport, as well, causing further delays and cancellations of outgoing flights. All of the patrons became antsy, contacting their friends and loved ones to pass on the harrowing news.

Nathan’s head fell into his hands.

“We’ll now take you back to the scene with our helicopter team,” said Tim. “What can you tell us?”

Now, they were all looking at an aerial view of the Last Resort. The helicopter moved closer and closer to the rooftop, and there, Nathan could finally see the two people (well, one person and one tyrannical Boo) on top.

“We’re just a few yards away now, Tim,” said the helicopter pilot, “and let me tell you—we’ve never seen something like this before. Viewers at home can notice on their screens that Luigi is wearing something on his back—it looks like the Poltergust G-00, which he wields in the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate tournament. But can it stand up to the might of King Boo? Only time will tell.”

A lump rose in Nathan’s throat as he watched Luigi attempting to dodge King Boo’s attacks and waiting for an opening. He could also see Polterpup up there, protecting, aiding and encouraging his human.

“Uh—Tim, are you seeing this?” asked the helicopter pilot. “There appears to be a ghost dog trying to help Luigi. And over there—is a lime green clone of him.” Sure enough, there was Gooigi, doing his best to distract King Boo in the hopes that Luigi could get the drop on him.

“I think that’s Luigi’s gooey doppelganger, Gooigi,” said the pilot. “As you know, Professor Elvin Gadd created Gooigi from ectoplasm and coffee just one year ago, and sent him into the past for a training exercise. Tim—there’s reason to believe that the Professor could also be inside the Last Resort.”

Nathan, however, wasn’t listening to the pilot or the anchor anymore. He stared hard at the image of Luigi on the screen, Polterpup and Gooigi by his side, leveling the Poltergust G-00 at his mortal enemy. If the numerous bruises, slashes and burns on his body didn’t frighten Nathan, then the look of scorn and loathing on the plumber’s face certainly did. Never in his life did he ever see Luigi look at someone like that before. His facial expression during the 2014 Mario Kart tournament was tame compared to this!

King Boo, meanwhile, had tossed some sort of projectile at Luigi—the camera was too far away for Nathan and the others to get a good look at it. But Luigi caught the object in his Poltergust and threw it right back at King Boo, sending him reeling. Then, he and Gooigi grabbed King Boo into the suction and heaved him overhead with a grunt, slamming him hard into the floor as everyone cheered.

“[Bleep] him up, Luigi!” crowed Nathan.

Luigi appeared inclined to oblige, slamming King Boo against the ground again and again and again as Gooigi assisted. The helicopter pilot gave a hearty laugh.

“He’s starting to gain a foothold in this brutal battle,” he said, “just when all hope seemed to be lost!”

After one last slam, King Boo broke free, and it all began again, the tyrant using his magical gem to summon all sorts of things to weaponize. But Luigi, in his usual fashion, always figured out a way to use those weapons against King Boo. Then, while the King was stunned, he’d leap into action with a battle cry, slamming his foe this way and that with all his might. Sometimes, Gooigi and Polterpup would help slam King Boo around, but Luigi was handling the weight pretty well. Hate was a rather potent emotion, after all.

The news reports continuously cross-cut from the helicopter to Kim on the ground and to Tim in the anchor room. Nathan dug his nails into his palms and continued to watch. While Luigi had the upper hand over King Boo at the moment, the situation on the ground was growing more dire, more Boos attacking as Kim and her crew were hastened to safety.

“I’m afraid we’ve received some tragic news,” said Kim. “Several responding officers managed to reach the Last Resort’s basement floor, where they discovered the body of Professor Elvin Gadd. The cause of death is an apparent suicide.”

Almost everyone in the airport swore at the news.

“Well—that is certainly a huge development, Kim,” said Tim. “Do you think this was actually a homicide, staged by the Boos to look like a suicide?”

“We will find out more once the police are done examining the scene,” said Kim. “In addition, our correspondent in Sarasaland has informed us of an even greater tragedy. Princess Daisy has been brutally murdered, presumably by the Boos. As our viewers at home know, Princess Daisy is Luigi’s longtime girlfriend, and rumors have abounded of a possible marriage on the horizon.”

This news was greeted with oaths and cries of disbelief.

_Oh, if only they knew_ , thought Nathan.

And so—it went on like this. The station taking calls from witnesses and concerned citizens. Nathan following along on the TV and the station’s official website for updates. The news helicopter, buzzing around the Last Resort and offering exclusive views of the pulse-pounding fight. Kim and her crew on the ground, continuing to dodge Boos and other ghosts. Police and other first responders, attempting to enter the building, only to get cut down or turned into paintings by the dozen. Whatever hope they were clinging onto was fading fast.

Nathan joined the rest of the airline passengers in praying fervently. Not just praying for Luigi to once again overcome his tormentor, but for the safety and the future of Planet Earth. It was time to let enough be enough.

Unfortunately, tonight just wasn’t the night for the good guys.

Physically and emotionally exhausted, Nathan had dozed off in the interim, only for the TV to jolt him awake. The first thing he saw was that the action was focused back on the roof. The second thing he saw was that Luigi was in _very_ bad shape, one arm wrapped around his midsection, limping, tears cleansing the blood and dirt from his battered face. The third thing he saw was King Boo, glaring ominously at the helicopter, the gem on his crown beginning to glow.

“Oh, no…” he whispered.

Frantically, the pilot shouted for his crew to hold on as he banked the helicopter away. But alas, he was seconds too late. A bright blast of energy struck the helicopter, sending it careening out of control. Then, the screen went black; only the sounds of screaming and the pilot radioing for help remained. Finally, a crash, and then—silence.

Tim’s face was ashen as he tried and failed to contact the helicopter pilot.

“Kim?” he asked. “Can you see what happened?”

Kim’s face was grave. “Seconds ago, we all saw a purple beam strike the helicopter, and it crashed several miles away from us. Casualties and fatalities are unknown at this point, but there’s a chance that our long-time pilot has been seriously injured or worse.” She swallowed. “It’s hard to believe what’s happening.” She winced at the sound of a low, muffled _boom_. “The brutality of it all—I—I don’t know if we can take anymore.”

“This could be a tragic day for humanity,” Tim warned the viewers. “It could be the end of the world as we know it.”

“No!” Nathan heard somebody exclaim.

Kim started to say something else, only for Tim to interrupt her.

“Kim—watch out!” he exclaimed.

Kim whirled as a swarm of cackling Boos pounced on her and the rest of her crew. More screams filled the air, and then the feed went black.

“Kim? Kim? Are you still with us?” asked Tim.

No answer.

“We will try to get back in touch with her…” Tim started to say, only to jump and jerk his head around.

He swiveled back to face his audience with a look illustrating the urgency of the situation. “I’m afraid something is happening…”

Abruptly, the screen cut to the color-bar test pattern, accompanied by a droning, beep.

An airline employee arrived to change the channel, only for the other channels to have static. Not just any static—but pink and purple static.

Nathan tried to get updates from the websites of his local news stations, only to wind up with error pages instead. Tears of frustration worried at the corners of his eyes. This was _definitely_ the Boos’ doing! They wished to torture the world’s populace by preventing information from coming in or going out and quashing Luigi’s hopes of aid. He was truly alone with a powerful individual and his subjects, and they all wanted his blood.

He looked up just as another airline employee announced that all remaining flights had been cancelled. The staff handed out vouchers to the long-suffering passengers, who gathered their luggage and filed out of the airport.

With a heavy sigh, Nathan signed out of Skype, powered off and put away his laptop and walked out into the night, headed for the nearest bus depot. At this point, his only option was to either head home or find a sturdy building to wait out the danger.

The silence and emptiness around him offered no comfort at all.

_You have to be strong, Luigi. The world’s depending on you…_


	15. Nathan's Night-Night

**November 1, 2019**

**2:45 a.m.**

The echo of police sirens greeted Nathan as he sat at the bus stop, and he watched as a tight formation of police cruisers sped down the street. He guessed that they were en route to the Sarasaland Royal Palace, as they’d no doubt received news of Princess Daisy’s tragic demise. Whether or not they’d be of any real help at this point was debatable.

Nathan took out his phone and opened the Messenger app, where he updated Luigi on the situation.

_They canceled my flight,_ he typed, _so I’ll just have to play the waiting game. I’m praying for your victory and for your safe return_.

Afterward, he opened the Skype app, leaving it on an active call, just in case.

Blue and red lights flashed as another phalanx of police cars raced down the street. Nathan theorized that due to Daisy’s passing, an emergency meeting regarding all of the encompassing kingdoms would no doubt be in order tomorrow morning. Would he still be alive when the sun came up, though? Hopefully, but there was a persistent nagging feeling that he wouldn’t.

For many minutes, Nathan sat at that bus stop, staring at his phone screen, waiting for something. Anything. But with Luigi’s fate still up in the air, the waiting and hoping began to drive him mad. Perhaps it had driven him mad already.

Time dragged itself forward. An unnerving chill crept into the bus stop. There was complete silence, save for some Boos cackling. The sadistic little p—cks materialized from all around, watching Nathan wait. Watching him slowly lose it. He could feel their breath against the back of his neck; he could feel their tongues brushing against his skin. A plethora of Boos were now gathered around him, savoring every moment of despair and desperation.

Finally, Nathan realized that a bus wasn’t coming anytime soon, got to his feet and started walking, looking for a suitable building to shelter in place.

He stopped when he heard a notification chime from his phone. But the chime sounded a little—off.

Nathan retrieved his phone and saw that his conversation with Luigi was active. Curious, he opened the conversation—and almost everything in his body froze when he saw the cryptic message.

**You are too late.**

_What are you talking about?_

**I think you know, Nathan. Did you actually believe that he’d be a match for me?**

Nathan felt his intestines twist.

The Boos following him cackled.

**Must be a real bummer, knowing that all of your main’s valiant efforts were in the end for naught.**

“No—please…”

**A terrible disappointment he must be to you now. I won’t be surprised if you mained someone else after this.**

“You sick [bleep]. You’re lying,” growled Nathan. “Luigi’s not dead. You’re lying!”

**Am I? 3:D**

The “incoming video call” jingle sounded on Nathan’s Skype. Feeling nauseous and shaking in every limb, he answered it.

King Boo leered at him, an expression of morbid satisfaction and accomplishment on his features.

“Hello, Nathan,” he sneered. “Expecting someone else?”

“What have you done?” Nathan asked in a gasping voice.

“The one thing I’d wanted to do for the past eighteen years,” King Boo replied.

Nathan was sweating now.

“It was neither quick nor painless,” King Boo went on. “I wanted him to know his time was up. I wanted to see his eyes as he came to the realization that he failed. And I did. It was _delicious_.” He laughed, and his brethren laughed with him.

“Oh—I guess you’ll want to see him now and say your final goodbyes.” He chuckled. “How inconsiderate of me.” He swiveled the camera around.

And Nathan screamed.

There lay Luigi, sprawled on the ground, glassy eyes wide open, blood streaming out of his likewise-open mouth. More blood poured out of the numerous deep gashes in his body and pooled beneath him. What looked like a spear—or a sword—was impaled through his navel, pinning him to the rooftop of the Last Resort like King Boo’s version of a prized butterfly.

“If it makes it any better—he fought me tooth-and-nail the whole way,” King Boo said in a faux-comforting tone. “Getting him to stay down was a difficult task—yet here I am, victorious.”

“Oh, my God,” rasped Nathan. “Oh, my God. I…” He turned away and threw up onto the pavement.

He breathed raggedly. “I’m s-sorry, Luigi. I’m so sorry—I’m so sorry! I—I should’ve done—m—more!” He retched again, and then he exploded in regretful sobs.

King Boo sighed. “If you and your friends had played by the rules—then he’d still be here,” he said. “But such is life. Now—the time has come for me to take my place as supreme ruler of all that crawls upon the earth and swims in the sea!” He cackled.

Nathan stared at him, tears flooding his face. “Why are you doing this?” he hoarsely asked. “Why?”

“Why not?” grinned King Boo.

The camera lingered a while over Luigi’s impaled and bloodied form before the call ended.

Nathan stood there, like a fool, in the middle of the street. The worst had come to pass—the entire world was now at King Boo’s mercy.

Another chat window showing up brought him out of his funk.

The feed showed his living room, where the bundle the Boos had placed on the couch had begun to move. As the coverings were knocked aside, Nathan saw that the bundle contained a dark-haired young woman in a forest-green, floral print wrap dress, soaked with blood. With great effort, the woman began hoisting her body into a seated position.

That was when Nathan noticed that the woman’s hands were missing.

One arm had been cut off at the shoulder, and the other had been cut off at the elbow, leaving a pair of bloody stumps. Her long, slightly disheveled hair concealed one eye, and the other was clouded over with pain and terror.

Nathan realized with a slight start that she was Gadd’s associate, and that the Boos had framed him for kidnapping and mutilating her.

On a third feed, a poll was displayed which asked: _Should Nathan live?_ As the voting commenced, a timer counted down from three and a half minutes.

And then Nathan began to laugh.

He laughed and he laughed, finding some twisted humor over the fact that these adorable, black-hearted ghosts were now deciding whether he should live or die. He laughed at the fact that all of his efforts ultimately amounted to nothing. He laughed because—he was at the end of his rope.

The woman in his living room pushed herself off the couch and stumbled toward Nathan’s other laptop, collapsing onto the chair in front of it. Nathan’s laughter quieted as she looked wildly into the camera. He could hear her breathing in sobs and whimpers.

“Help me!” cried the woman. “My name’s Rebecca Everson, and I work for Professor Elvin Gadd!” A sobbing breath was drawn, and then another. “Can you hear me?!”

Nathan tried to say something to the woman, to comfort her, but no words would leave his mouth.

The hair obscuring Rebecca’s other eye moved slightly aside, revealing an empty, gory socket where the eye should’ve been. Blood tricked from the socket and down her cheek like tears.

Rebecca screamed, and then the feed was booted from the chat, leaving Nathan alone with the poll and the climbing votes.

Nathan stood there in silence, unmoving, unfeeling—uncaring.

The final seconds of the poll ticked away.

The results were tallied.

Only 3% of the Boos thought that Nathan should be spared.

_Typical_ , thought Nathan, laughing once more.

That thought ultimately became his final thought.

A truck smashed into Nathan, seemingly out of nowhere, reducing the Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom into a mess of red paste on the pavement.

_Nathan—game over. 3:D_

**…**

The truck rolled to a stop and cut its engine. Its doors opened, and a small group of Boos floated out.

One of the Boos floated over to what used to be Nathan, picked up his phone and wiped the blood away from the screen before giving the camera a wave.

Seated in front of his desktop, King Boo waved back.

He grinned as more video feeds popped up from all over the Last Resort, as well as from the living rooms of Nathan and his foolish friends. More of the King’s brethren materialized, floating before the cameras and waving hello, giggling as they did.

Inside the Hotel Shops, Kruller stared into the camera as the Boos lavished him with compliments, filled with quiet regret.

In the kitchen on the mezzanine floor, Soulffle held out his trusty frying pan, as if inviting King Boo to see the dish he was currently preparing. He took in a deep breath through his nostrils, enjoying the pleasant aroma.

Inside the auditorium on the fourth floor, Amadeus Wolfgeist sat at his piano, smoothing his hair and adjusting his tie, giving the camera a nod before taking a sip from a glass of champagne.

In the ballroom where Sophie, Melanie, Janelle and Emily had been held, Boolossus cackled to themselves over a job well done.

Inside the Spectral Catch, Cap’n Fishhook and his crew sat with a score of Booccaneers, sharing a hearty meal and repeatedly toasting with glasses of rum.

King Boo watched them all, the smile never leaving his face.

A night of fun had sadly come to an end. But it worked in favor of the Master of Illusions. All of his foes had been eliminated in one fell swoop, and the morale of anyone else who dared oppose him was irrevocably broken. From here, conquest of the world—and maybe the universe—would be a cinch.

The very thought of it made him throw back his head and laugh.

King Boo then turned away from his computer, gazing happily at the thousands upon thousands of Luigi fans and Luigi mains, hopelessly immobilized in their artistic prisons.

“Good game, everybody,” smirked the King. He then swung around toward the one who was reading these very words, his violet eyes glinting delightedly. “Would _you_ like to play sometime?”

And then he licked out his tongue and let out a truly evil cackle.

**Good Night!**


	16. Morty's Cinematic Comeback

**October 31, 2020**

**9:30 p.m.**

The ghostly director sighed in satisfaction as the end credits began to roll, having finished viewing his own work. He looked over at his new favorite leading man, seated to his right, also sporting a contented look. To the director’s left was his new favorite supporting actor, his gooey features glowing with pride.

“Wow,” breathed Chase “Morty” Mortimer, once again a director of great renown. “Is _that_ how you make a horror film, or is that how you make a horror film?”

“Indeed,” smiled Luigi.

“I must say, Luigi—your creative juices surprised me,” said Morty. “Who knew that someone like you could dream up something so—dark?”

“We both needed it,” said Luigi. “That stuff wouldn’t let go of me until I put it on paper.”

“Like most writers,” added Gooigi.

It had been several days since _CyBooNatural_ had been released to the viewing public, just in time for Halloween. The project was the second collaboration between Luigi and Morty, but this time around, Luigi had written the film’s screenplay as well as starred in the leading role, impressing the rest of the crew with his vivid storytelling. While the “monster vs. monster” film Morty had done exactly a year ago had rekindled the ghostly director’s flame, _CyBooNatural_ had put him firmly back on the map.

When Morty had screened the film at the annual Scream Film Festival two days ago, the consensus had been that “Chase Mortimer is back with a vengeance!” His direction and cinematography had been heavily praised, as well as Luigi’s performance in the lead role, Nathan’s performance as a co-lead, and Gooigi’s, Vicky’s, Melanie’s, Sophie’s, Jacqui’s, Noah’s, Elegant’s and Gadd’s performances as the supporting cast. A Golden Globe and an Oscar seemed to be on the horizon for Morty, Luigi and practically everyone involved in bringing _CyBooNatural_ to life.

For Luigi, however, _CyBooNatural_ had been more than just a film project—it had been closure and an opportunity to finally heal from his third encounter with King Boo. Writing the screenplay had allowed him to purge his mind of the “what ifs” keeping him awake at night and to make peace with what had actually happened. He’d been up for nights on end, sleeping when he felt like it, working on the screenplay with the worst-case scenario in his head. The actual events were harrowing, but he couldn’t put the memories to rest until those “what ifs” were dealt with.

Nathan hadn’t been stupid, and neither had Elegant. When the Boos had invited them to that tournament, they’d immediately sensed something, declining to attend. Which meant that Nathan _didn’t_ wind up with King Boo’s laptop, and he and his friends _hadn’t_ wound up dragged into the Last Resort debacle and ultimately dying gruesomely and graphically. Oh, yes—Nathan and his friends were still very much alive, as were Janelle, Emily, Daisy, Mario, Peach, Gadd, Flynn, Ryder, Rian and even Nathan’s friend in Daisy’s castle. All were alive and doing quite well.

Although—

Luigi had mixed fiction with fact while writing _CyBooNatural_. Nathan and co. _had_ chatted with him via Messenger and Skype before everything went pear-shaped. There _had_ been some contention between him and Gadd over the latter allowing King Boo to escape a second time. The man in green _had_ given his mentor the third degree over putting him and his loved ones in danger, needing some time to cool off. Luckily, the two had the opportunity to clear the air after Luigi had freed Ryder from a museum-themed floor. Battling a caveman ghost possessing a T-Rex had not only blasted that anger out of him but also had reminded him of his priorities.

Also, Luigi _did_ encounter Boolossus in a spacious ballroom, the right-hand Boo ambushing the green-clad hero on the vile King’s orders. But Luigi and Gooigi had worked together to cut Boolossus down to size, the former taking many hits from both Boolossus and the Boos making them up but not stopping until all of those Boos were in the Poltergust G-00.

And the touch of _something_ emerging between Luigi and Gooigi? Also true.

The two had _really_ bonded during the adventure, saving each other time and again during intense battles with boss ghosts. Gooigi was all Luigi had, aside from Polterpup, and vice versa. And Luigi had made Gooigi feel like a _person_ , rather than Goo shaped to look like Luigi. As they fought their way up the Last Resort, Luigi and Gooigi had shared many charged moments, from physical displays of affection and concern to Gooigi tending to Luigi’s wounds after a particularly brutal fight. Whenever Gadd insisted that Luigi take a nap in one of the Lab’s spare bedrooms, Gooigi had snuggled up next to him. The hints of something more than friendship had culminated thrice. First was a near-kiss between Gooigi and Luigi in the elevator after chasing down Polterkitty for the first time. Then, the two had shared a fiery kiss on the deck of Cap’n Fishhook’s ship after defeating the ghostly pirate shark and his crew and before freeing Rian. And finally, in Hellen’s penthouse suite, the hotel owner had thrown every remaining ghost in her arsenal at the duo, but she’d made the mistake of revealing that she had Mario inside her office, making Luigi an unstoppable juggernaut, shaking off every blow the ghosts landed on him. When it was over, Gooigi had taken him to Hellen’s Master Bedroom, patched him up, and then—

Well—

Let’s just say that they got to know each other _extremely_ intimately.

Finally, both the film and the actual incident climaxed with a no-holds-barred battle against King Boo atop the roof of the Last Resort. However, while Luigi had lost everyone who mattered to him, followed by his own life, in the former, things ended on a considerably happier note in the latter. In actuality, King Boo had used Peach to lure Mario and Luigi onto the roof, hijacked Gadd’s Lab and then proceeded to attempt to trap everyone in an ensemble portrait, with Polterpup’s last-second intervention sparing Luigi. What had followed was an all-out fight for Luigi’s loved ones, the stakes freedom or eternal imprisonment. And then King Boo had completely lost his [bleep], enlarged the portrait frame imprisoning the sextet and started to bring it down on the entire planet! Also during that last phase, he’d armed himself with a sword and split himself into three. But none of his attacks stopped Luigi—all he could think about was _them_ , repeating their names over and over in his mind like a mantra. And with Gooigi and Polterpup by his side, Luigi had prevailed—against all odds, without hesitation and at any cost.

Luigi and Gooigi had given their adversary one last resounding slam, the latter losing his grip on the King’s long tongue. And then King Boo had practically lunged forward, giving Luigi a hateful snarl and warning that he’d never be free of him. The intensity of the King’s glare was enough to make Luigi avert his gaze—initially. But then strength and warmth had surged through the man in green as he thought about his brother, his “sister”, his mentor, his friends and all of his fans—all of those who would back him up until his dying day. And he’d lanced the 18-year bane of his existence with a hard, determined look, steely blue eyes searing into those crazed violet orbs as King Boo was finally sent into the Poltergust’s confines.

King Boo had tried to break Luigi. But in the end, he’d failed.

The hotel had fallen to pieces, and the ghosts, except Hellen, had been mind-controlled by a gem on King Boo’s crown. However, everyone had put aside their differences and rebuilt a brand-new hotel, which had opened just four months ago.

So, the actual outcome was far less bleak then what was depicted in the film, but the “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios had tormented Luigi still—until now.

While Nathan, his fiancée and his friends thankfully hadn’t been directly involved in the incident, they were informed of it after the fact, responding with armfuls of well-wishes and visiting Luigi in the hospital during his recovery. And at the exact moment Luigi had wrestled King Boo into the Poltergust for the final time, Vicky’s water had broken, and she’d given birth to a daughter and Nathan’s heir, Brianna. Shortly after Luigi was released from the hospital, Nathan and Vicky wed in Sarasaland’s capital, with the man in green and his Flower Princess among the happy witnesses. Both were now retired from the Smash tournaments, preparing for their inevitable roles as the Easton Kingdom’s future King and Queen.

Melanie and Sophie had also tied the knot, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day. Luigi had also been a guest of honor, and he’d also been the lucky recipient of the garter toss. Elegant was still going strong as a Luigi main and had helped promote _CyBooNatural_. Noah and Jacqui remained strong tournament players, as well, the latter mainly based in her native Quebec. And when Morty and Luigi had pitched the film to them, they’d quickly signed on.

Filming the project had been so much fun. The cast and crew had laughed and joked around when the cameras weren’t rolling, and all of the actors enjoyed getting covered with fake blood, even though it took weeks to fully wash it off. Emily and Janelle had kicked around the latter’s fake “head” like a soccer ball after filming their death scenes, and Vicky was pleased to know that the fake viscera for her death scene had been made out of confection, trolling Nathan by pretending to eat their unborn child. With each day of filming, the atmosphere had lightened, and the night after the last scene was filmed saw the best sleep Luigi had enjoyed in, well, ever.

Luigi smiled at Morty. “Thank you for helping me do this,” he said.

“My pleasure, of course,” Morty replied. “I figured that you could use that release.”

“That’s the truth of it,” smiled Luigi, “and it helped. I feel better, I’ve slept better, and I haven’t thought about _him_.” He leaned his head against Morty’s shoulder, an action which Gooigi parroted. “You met me at a very strange time in my life.”

“And _you_ had me at ‘hello’,” mused Morty.

“Do you think we’ll get to work together again?” asked Luigi.

“I surely hope so,” answered Morty.

“So do I,” grinned Luigi, “but for now—how about we celebrate our cinematic achievement—just the three of us? We can go out to dinner, and then we’ll come home for some extra—dessert?”

“I was thinking—dessert first,” said Morty. “ _Then_ we’ll go out to dinner, and then we’ll have our second helping of dessert. I _am_ in the mood for some Jell-O tonight.”

Gooigi blushed and giggled.

“How about it, Gooigi?” asked Luigi. “Are you up for some Halloween treats before dinner?”

“Oh, yeah!” Gooigi eagerly replied.

“Okeydokey,” said Luigi, sharing a steamy kiss with his gooey doppelganger before the two of them lavished Morty with sweet kisses.

Morty chuckled, lifting both ghost hunters into his arms. “Come along, then, lovebirds,” he said, kissing them both on the lips. “This Halloween night is still young.”

Exchanging loving looks, the trio headed upstairs.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, everyone! And thank you, ReganingRainyRain, for the shout-out! Seriously, you all should check out their work!


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